Singapore vs Thailand
Singapore vs Thailand: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 97.7% in Singapore in 2021 and 91.1% in Thailand in 2022, by UNESCO estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in Singapore, by 6.2 percentage points, or 1.07 times that in Thailand.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Singapore has been higher since 2013, when it overtook Thailand.
- The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2019.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Singapore | Thailand | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | 91.1 | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 97.7 | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 97.1 | – | 87 |
| 2019 | 97.5 | 91.3 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 97.3 | 93.8 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 97.2 | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 97.1 | 92 | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 96.8 | 92.9 | 86 |
| 2014 | 96.7 | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | 96.6 | 93.7 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 96.4 | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 96.2 | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 95.9 | 96.4 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | 93.5 | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | 92.6 | 92.7 | 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 | 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 | 82.9 | 88 | 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
Singapore vs Thailand
Health
- Life expectancySingapore: 83.7 years in 2023Thailand: 76.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySingapore: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Thailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySingapore: 1.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Thailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSingapore: 3.44% in 2017Thailand: 3.09% in 2017
- Suicide rateSingapore: 7.3 per 100,000 people in 2017Thailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSingapore: 5.79 million people in 2023Thailand: 71.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthSingapore: 0.81% a year in 2023Thailand: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSingapore: 0.94 births per woman in 2023Thailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSingapore: 100% in 2025Thailand: 62.8% in 2025
- Median ageSingapore: 35.1 years in 2023Thailand: 39.7 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSingapore: 13.1% in 2023Thailand: 14.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateSingapore: 4.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Thailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSingapore: 3.05% of GDP in 2025Thailand: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSingapore: $16.9B in 2025Thailand: $5.57B in 2025
- Military spending per personSingapore: $2,980 in 2025Thailand: $84 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSingapore: 18% of government spending in 2025Thailand: 4.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSingapore: 59,000 people in 2020Thailand: 455,000 people in 2020
- National powerSingapore: 0.25% of world capability in 2022Thailand: 0.79% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSingapore: 1.72% of the labour force in 2020Thailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSingapore: 57 million TIV in 2025Thailand: 33 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSingapore: 79 million TIV in 2025Thailand: 15 million TIV in 2024