Singapore vs United Arab Emirates: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 97.7% in Singapore in 2021 and 98.8% in United Arab Emirates in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 0.5 percentage points, or 1 times that in Singapore.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

SingaporeUnited Arab EmiratesWorld

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2019.
The world as a whole: 87.2% in 2021.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Singapore	United Arab Emirates	World
2024	–	98.8	87.7
2023	–	98.1	87.6
2022	–	98.3	87.4
2021	97.7	98.1	87.2
2020	97.1	–	87
2019	97.5	97.8	86.8
2018	97.3	–	86.8
2017	97.2	–	86.5
2016	97.1	–	86.3
2015	96.8	–	86
2014	96.7	–	85.6
2013	96.6	–	85.2
2012	96.4	–	84.9
2011	96.2	–	84.7
2010	95.9	–	84.4
2009	–	–	83.8
2008	–	–	83.5
2007	–	–	83.1
2006	–	–	82.5
2005	–	90	82.6
2004	–	–	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	89.1	–	74.6
1989	–	–	74.1
1988	–	–	73.6
1987	–	–	71.9
1986	–	–	71.3
1985	–	71.2	70.7
1984	–	–	70.2
1983	–	–	69.5
1982	–	–	68.9
1981	–	–	68.4
1980	82.9	–	67.8
1979	–	–	67.2
1978	–	–	66.5
1977	–	–	65.9
1976	–	–	65.6
1975	–	53.5	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 United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Learning-adjusted schoolingSingapore: 12.8 years in 2020United Arab Emirates: 9.6 years in 2020

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSingapore: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022