Indonesia vs Singapore: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 96% in Indonesia in 2020 and 97.7% in Singapore in 2021, by UNESCO estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Singapore, by 1.1 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in Indonesia.
IndonesiaSingapore
Watch it change on the map% of adults · UNESCO · log scale
Latest figures
% of adults · UNESCO
| Country | Latest | 10 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 96 2020 | 92.3 |
| Singapore | 97.7 2021 | 96.2 |
| World | 87.7 2024 | 85.6 |
What the numbers say
- Singapore has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1980.
- The world as a whole: 87% in 2020.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Indonesia | Singapore | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | 97.7 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 96 | 97.1 | 87 |
| 2019 | – | 97.5 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 95.7 | 97.3 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | 97.2 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 95.4 | 97.1 | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 95.2 | 96.8 | 86 |
| 2014 | 95.1 | 96.7 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | 96.6 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | 96.4 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 92.8 | 96.2 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 92.3 | 95.9 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 92.6 | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | 92.2 | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | 92 | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | 90.4 | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | 92.6 | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | 81.5 | 89.1 | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | 67.3 | 82.9 | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time