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Demographics of Singapore

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As of June 2024, the population of Singapore is 6.04 million. Of these 6.04 million people, 4.18 million are residents, consisting of 3.64 million citizens and 544,900 permanent residents (PRs). The remaining 1.86 million people living in Singapore are classed as non-residents, defined as "foreign workforce across all pass types, dependants and international students".<ref name="Population in Brief 2024">Template:Cite web</ref>

Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural Asian society. Major religions include Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism. Its people are broadly organised under the CMIO (Chinese–Malay–Indian–Other) system of categorisation. Although Malays are recognised as the indigenous community,<ref name="UNHCR">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 75.9% of the citizens and permanent resident visa holders are ethnic Chinese, with ethnic Malay and Indians comprising 15.0% and 7.5%, respectively. Together, the three largest ethnic groups make up 98.4% of the citizen population.<ref name="census2020">Template:Cite web</ref> The remaining 1.6% are members of "Other" races, which are largely Eurasians. Despite long term occupancy, Singapore excludes from resident statistics 29% of the population as non-residents.<ref name="census2020"/> Officially, mixed-race Singaporeans are often regarded as having the race of their father. However, race categorisation, for example on an individual's identity card, may also reflect both ethnicities of their parents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

There are four official languages in Singapore: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. Malay is the symbolic national language, while English is the main working language.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Education in Singapore is bilingual, with English being the medium of instruction. Students are also required to learn a second language, usually Malay, Mandarin, or Tamil.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Singlish, a local creole and accent, is often used in colloquial speech between all native races of Singapore.

The annual total population growth rate for the year 2020 was -0.3%.<ref>Population Trends 2015 Template:Webarchive Department of Statistics, Singapore.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Singapore's resident total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.10 in 2020; the Singaporean Chinese, Malay and Indian fertility rates were 0.94, 1.83 and 0.97 respectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

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Population growth

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Population growth and immigration in selected periods<ref name="saw2">Template:Cite book</ref>
Period Population increase Natural increase Net immigration
1881–1891 43,857 −30,932Template:Ref 74,798
1901–1911 75,729 −59,978Template:Ref 135,707
1921–1931 230,387 18,176 212,211
1947–1957 507,800 395,600 112,200
1970–1980 339,400 315,400 24,000
1990–2000 980,755 325,887 654,868
2000–2010 1,048,845 224,718 824,127
2010–2020 609,075 203,643 405,432
  • Template:Note Negative figures are due to low birth rate and high death rate

Template:See also

Population growth in Singapore was fueled by immigration for a long period of time, starting soon after Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819, when the population of the island was estimated to be around 1,000.<ref name="rahim">Template:Cite book</ref> The first official census taken in January 1824 showed that the resident population of Singapore had grown to 10,683: 4,580 Malays, 3,317 Chinese, 1,925 Bugis, 756 natives of India, 74 Europeans, 16 Armenians, and 15 Arabs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chinese males greatly outnumbered the females; in the 1826 population figures there were 5,747 Chinese males but only 341 Chinese females, in contrast to 2,501 Malay males and 2,289 Malay females. The figures for around a thousand Indians in 1826 were also similarly skewed towards male – 209 male and 35 female Bengalis, 772 males and 5 females from the Coromandel Coast.<ref name="census 1826">Template:Cite book</ref> By 1836, the population figure had risen to 29,980, and marked a change in demographics as the Malays were outnumbered for the first time; 45.9% of the population were Chinese versus 41.9% for Malays (including Javanese and Bugis).<ref name="census 1836">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="jstor1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Women from China were discouraged from emigrating, and most of the Chinese females in this early period of Singapore were likely Template:Transliteration from Malacca; it was noted in 1837 that there were no Chinese women in Singapore who had emigrated directly from China.<ref name="jstor1" />

The imbalance of the sexes continued for a long period, for example, the 1901 census figures show that there were 130,367 Chinese males compared to 33,674 Chinese females.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Such imbalance also meant that fewer people were born in early Singapore, and in the first hundred years, most of the Chinese population in Singapore were immigrants. By the late 1890s, only around 10% of the Chinese population in Singapore were born there.<ref name="warren">Template:Cite book</ref> Many of the early migrant workers from China and India did not intend to settle permanently to raise their families in Singapore; they worked to send back remittance to their families back home, and would return to China or India after they had earned enough money. Later an increasing number of Chinese chose to settle permanently in Singapore, especially in the 1920s when it became more favourable to stay in Singapore rather than returning to China. Change in social attitude in the modern era also meant that Chinese women were freer to emigrate from China, and the sex ratio began to normalise.<ref name="jstor1" /> This gradual normalisation of sex ratio led to an increase in the number of native births. Immigration continued to be the main reason for the Chinese population increase in Singapore until the 1931–1947 period when the natural increase in population surpassed the net immigration figure.<ref name="warren" /><ref name="Saw Swee-Hock 12">Template:Cite book</ref>

After World War II, in the period from 1947 to 1957, Singapore saw a massive population increase mostly due to increased number of native births.<ref name="Natalism">Template:Cite journal</ref> The birth rate rose and the death rate fell; the average annual growth rate was 4.4%, of which 1% was due to immigration; Singapore experienced its highest birth rate in 1957 at 42.7 per thousand individuals. (This was also the same year the United States saw its peak birth rate.)

Immigration to Singapore also fell sharply after Singapore independence due to tighter control of immigration from Malaysia and other countries. The population increase became dominated by native births with 315,400 in the 1970–1980 period due to natural increase compared to 24,000 from net migration. However, a lower rate of natural growth in population and the need for low-skill labour resulted in a deliberate shift in policy by the Singapore government to allow more foreigners to live and work in the country, and net migration increased in the 1980–1990 period to nearly 200,000. By the decade of 1990–2000, the net migrant number of over 600,000 had surpassed the natural growth of the population, and accounted for nearly two-thirds of the population increase. The same high level of immigration is also seen in the next decade with 664,083 net migration recorded.<ref name="saw2" />

Net migration rate 9.12 migrants/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Due to the continued low birth rate, amongst other reasons, the Singapore government has varied its immigration policy over the years. As the demand for labour grew with industrialisation, foreign talent with professional qualifications as well as less-skilled foreign workers has made up a significant and increasing proportion of Singapore's total population since the 2000s and 2010s. Curbs on immigration, however, began to be implemented in the 2010s to ease increasing social issues arising from the high level of immigration.<ref name="ST 2015">Template:Cite news</ref>

Population planning

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Per-period population growth, 1947—2000<ref name="Natalism" />
Period Growth rate
1947—1957 84.7%
1957—1970 90.8%
1970—1980 13.3%
1980—1990 18.5%
1990— 2000 20.6%

The post-war boom in births led to an interest in family planning, and by 1960, the government publicly funded and supported family planning programmes. After independence in 1965, the birth rate had fallen to 29.5 per thousand individuals, and the natural growth rate had fallen to 2.5%. Birth rates in the 1960s were still perceived as high by the government; on average, a baby was born every 11 minutes in 1965. Kandang Kerbau Hospital (KKH)—which specialised in women's health and was the most popular hospital to have children—saw over 100 deliveries per day in 1962. In 1966, KKH delivered 39835 babies, earning it a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for "largest number of births in a single maternity facility" for ten years. Because there was generally a massive shortage of beds in that era, mothers with routine deliveries were discharged from hospitals within 24 hours.<ref name="a2ofam">Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 1965 the Minister for Health, Yong Nyuk Lin, submitted a white paper to Parliament, recommending a "Five-year Mass Family Planning programme" that would reduce the birth rate to 20.0 per thousand individuals by 1970. In 1966, the Family Planning and Population Board (FPPB) had been established based on the findings of the white paper, providing clinical services and public education on family planning.<ref name="LOC1989">Template:Cite web</ref>

By 1970, the Stop at Two campaign was firmly established, implementing incentives, disincentives and public exhortation to discourage families from having more than two children. After 1975, the fertility rate declined below replacement level, in a sign that Singapore was undergoing the demographic transition. In 1983, the Graduate Mothers' Scheme was implemented in an attempt to get educated women, especially women with a university degree, to marry and procreate, while the government encouraged women without an O-level degree to get sterilised. This was done out of the Lee Kuan Yew government's belief that for the nation to best develop and avoid hardship, the educated classes should be encouraged to contribute to the nation's breeding pool, while the uneducated should not, sparking the Great Marriage Debate.<ref name="LOC1989" />

In 1986, the government reversed its population policy—except its stance on low-income, lowly-educated women—and initiated the Have Three or More (if you can afford it) campaign, offering cash and public administration incentives to have children. In 2001, the Singapore government started its Baby Bonus scheme.

Singapore has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world.Template:Citation needed In 2012, Singapore total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.20 children born per woman, a sub-replacement fertility rate. Ethnic Chinese had a fertility of 1.07 in 2004 (1.65 in 1990), while Malays had a TFR of 2.10 (2.69 in 1990). Both figures declined further in 2006. TFR for Indians was 1.30 in 2004 and 1.89 in 1990.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Singapore government has launched several highly publicised attempts to raise the fertility rate and increase awareness of the negative effects of an ageing population, the elderly (65 and above) had constituted 9.9% of its population in 2012; this proportion is still significantly lower than that of many other developed nations, such as the United States and Japan. In February 2015, National University of Singapore launched the "New Age Institute" in conjunction with Washington University in St. Louis to conduct research on this issue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Area planning

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The population of Singapore are generally housed within new towns, which are large scale satellite housing developments designed to be self contained. It includes public housing units, private housing, a town centre and other amenities.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Since the 1950s, Singapore had a city centre surrounded by slums and squatter colonies. By 1959 when Singapore attained self government, the problem of housing shortage had grown. Combined with a fast population growth, it led to congestion and squalor.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The new towns planning concept was introduced in July 1952 by the country's public housing authority, Housing and Development Board (HDB), to counter the housing shortage problem and to relocate most of the population crammed within the city centre to other parts of the island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Today, there are 23 new towns and 3 estates within the country, with Bedok being the largest by area and population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Population white paper

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Template:Main

In early 2013, the Parliament of Singapore debated over the policies recommended by the Population White Paper entitled A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore. Citing that Singapore's 900,000 Baby Boomers would comprise a quarter of the citizen population by 2030 and that its workforce would shrink "from 2020 onwards", the White Paper projected that by 2030, Singapore's "total population could range between 6.5 and 6.9 million", with resident population between 4.2 and 4.4 million and citizen population between 3.6 and 3.8 million. The White Paper called for an increase in the number of foreign workers so as to provide balance between the number of skilled and less-skilled workers, as well as provide healthcare and domestic services. It also claimed that foreign workers help businesses thrive when the economy is good.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The motion was passed<ref>Amended motion on white paper adopted; 6.9 million is not a target. Template:Webarchive The Straits Times. 9 February 2013.</ref> albeit after amendments made to leave out "population policy" and add focus on infrastructure and transport development.

The White Paper was heavily criticised and panned by opposition parties and government critics.<ref>Template:Cite web The Workers' Party's Population Policy Paper: "A Dynamic Population for a Sustainable Singapore" The Workers' Party.</ref> Member of Parliament Low Thia Khiang of the Workers' Party of Singapore had criticised current measures of increasing the fertility rate, claiming that this would lead to an increase of a higher cost of living and discourage young couples from having more kids. As for current immigration policies, he had noted that immigrants were a source of friction for Singaporeans and that an increased population would put more stress and strain on the urban infrastructure.<ref>A Sustainable Singapore with a Dynamic Singaporean majority – MP Low Thia Khiang Template:Webarchive The Workers' Party.</ref> On 16 February 2013, nearly 3,000 people rallied to protest against the White Paper at Hong Lim Park and raised concerns that the increased population would lead to the deterioration of public service and the increase of the cost of living.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Population

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Population size and growth by residential status

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Source: Singapore Department of Statistics<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Year Number ('000) Growth (year on year) Land area (km2)<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> Population density (persons per km2)
Total population Total residents Singapore citizens Permanent residents Non-residents Total population Total residents Singapore citizens Permanent residents Non-residents
1950 1,022.1 na na na na 4.4% na na na na na na
1955 1,305.5 na na na na 4.6% na na na na na na
1960 1,646.4 na na na na 3.7% na na na na 581.5 2,831
1965 1,886.9 na na na na 2.5% na na na na 581.5 3,245
1970 2,074.5 2,013.6 1,874.8 138.8 60.9 2.8% na na na na 586.4 3,538
1975 2,262.6 na na na na 1.5% na na na na 596.8 3,791
1980 2,413.9 2,282.1 2,194.3 87.8 131.8 1.5% 1.3% na na na 617.8 3,907
1985 2,736 2,482.6 na na 253.3 0.1% 1.6% na na na 620.5 4,409
1990 3,047.1 2,735.9 2,623.7 112.1 311.3 2.3% 1.7% 1.7% 2.3% 9.0% 633 4,706
1995 3,524.5 3,013.5 2,823.7 189.8 511 3.1% 1.8% 1.4% 8.3% 11.2% 647.5 5,443
2000 4,027.9 3,273.4 2,985.9 287.5 754.5 2.8% 1.8% 1.3% 9.9% 9.3% 682.7 5,900
2005 4,265.8 3,467.8 3,081 386.8 797.9 2.4% 1.6% 0.8% 8.6% 5.9% 697.9 6,121
2010 5,076.7 3,771.7 3,230.7 541.0 1,305.0 1.8% 1.0% 0.9% 1.5% 4.1% 712.4 7,126
2015 5,535.0 3,902.7 3,375.0 527.7 1,632.3 1.2% 0.8% 1.0% 0% 2.1% 719.1 7,697
2020 5,685,8 4,044.2 3,523.2 521 1,641.6 -0.3% 0.4% 0.6% -0.8% 0.02% 728.3 7,810

Gender composition of resident population

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Source: Singapore Department of Statistics<ref name="tablebuilder.singstat.gov.sg">Template:Cite web</ref>

Year 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Total 1,646.4 1,886.9 2,013.6 2,262.6 2,282.1 2,482.6 2,735.9 3,013.5 3,273.4 3,467.8 3,771.7 3,902.7 4,044.2
Males 859.6 973.8 1,030.8 1,156.1 1,159.0 1,258.5 1,386.3 1,514.0 1,634.7 1,721.1 1,861.1 1,916.6 1,977.6
Females 786.8 913.1 982.8 1,106.5 1,123.1 1,224.2 1,349.6 1,499.5 1,638.7 1,746.7 1,910.6 1,986.1 2,066.7
Sex ratio (males per 1,000 females) 1,093 1,066 1,049 1,045 1,032 1,028 1,027 1,010 998 985 974 965 957

Age distribution of resident population

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Source: Singapore Department of Statistics<ref name="Singstat 2012">Population Trends 2012 Template:Webarchive Department of Statistics, Singapore.</ref>

Age group (years) 1990 2000 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Below 15 23.0% 21.9% 17.4% 16.8% 16.4% 16.0% 15.7%
15–24 16.9% 12.9% 13.5% 13.6% 13.7% 13.6% 13.2%
25–34 21.5% 17.0% 15.1% 14.8% 14.4% 14.4% 14.4%
35–44 16.9% 19.4% 16.7% 16.4% 16.3% 16.1% 16.0%
45–54 9.0% 14.3% 16.6% 16.7% 16.5% 16.4% 16.1%
55–64 6.7% 7.2% 11.7% 12.4% 12.7% 13.1% 13.4%
65 and over 6.0% 7.2% 9.0% 9.3% 9.9% 10.5% 11.2%
Median age (years) 29.8 34.0 37.4 38.0 38.4 38.9<ref name="Singstat 2015 Population">topic3 Template:Webarchive (Population). Retrieved from Singapore – Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, 2015 Template:Dead link, Department of Statistics, Singapore. Retrieved on 28 August 2015.</ref> 39.3<ref name="Singstat 2015 Population" />
File:Age distribution in Singapore 1960-2016.gif
This animation shows the share of age groups for the population of Singapore from 1960 – 2016. The age group which contains the median is highlighted. The population of Singapore is considered to be ageing rapidly.<ref name="tablebuilder.singstat.gov.sg" />

Population by sex and age (Census 30.VI.2020)

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Age group<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Male Female Total %
Total 1 977 556 2 066 654 4 044 210 100
0–4 93 388 89 688 183 076 4.53
5–9 101 729 97 008 198 737 4.91
10–14 104 967 101 426 206 393 5.10
15–19 109 868 105 366 215 234 5.32
20–24 124 617 119 920 244 537 6.05
25–29 142 382 144 615 286 997 7.10
30–34 143 022 154 776 297 798 7.36
35–39 141 357 158 158 299 515 7.41
40–44 142 801 156 490 299 291 7.40
45–49 151 690 160 050 311 740 7.71
50–54 145 383 150 685 296 068 7.32
55–59 152 960 152 870 305 830 7.56
60–64 141 471 143 155 284 626 7.04
65–69 112 609 116 787 229 396 5.67
70–74 80 819 89 189 170 008 4.20
75–79 40 773 50 217 90 990 2.25
80–84 27 886 38 627 66 513 1.64
85-89 13 522 23 064 36 586 0.90
90+ 6312 14 563 20 875 0.52
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 300 084 288 122 588 206 14.54
15–64 1 395 551 1 446 085 2 841 636 70.26
65+ 281 921 332 447 614 368 15.19
File:Bevölkerungspyramide Singapur 2016.png
Population pyramid according to the CIA

Fertility and mortality

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Fertility and mortality<ref name="Singstat 2012" /><ref name="Singstat 2015 Population" />
Year Total live-births Resident live-births Crude birth rate (per 1,000 residents) Total fertility rate (per female) Gross reproduction rate (per female) Net reproduction rate (per female) Total deaths Crude death rate (per 1,000 residents) Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 resident live-births) Life expectancy at birth (years) Life expectancy at birth for males (years) Life expectancy at birth for females (Years) Natural growth Natural change
1950 45.4 N.A. N.A. N.A. 12 82.2
1955 44.3 N.A. N.A. N.A. 8.1 49.5
1960 37.5 5.76 2.78 2.54 6.2 34.9
1965 29.5 4.66 2.27 2.08 5.4 26.3
1970 45,934 N.A. 22.1 3.07 1.49 1.42 10,717 5.2 20.5 65.8 64.1 67.8 35,217 16.9
1975 17.7 2.07 1 0.97 5.1 13.9
1980 41,217 40,100 17.6 1.82 0.88 0.86 12,505 4.9 8 72.1 69.8 74.7 28,712 12.7
1985 16.6 1.61 0.78 0.76 4.9 7.6
1990 51,142 49,787 18.2 1.83 0.88 0.87 13,891 4.7 6.6 75.3 73.1 77.6 37,251 13.5
1995 15.6 1.67 0.8 0.8 4.8 3.8
2000 46,997 44,765 13.7 1.6 0.77 0.77 15,693 4.5 2.5 78 76 80 31,304 9.2
2005 10.2 1.26 0.61 0.61 4.4 2.1
2006 10.3 1.28 0.62 0.61 4.4 2.6
2007 10.3 1.29 0.62 0.62 4.5 2.1
2008 39,826 10.2 1.28 0.62 0.62 17,222 4.4 2.1 22,604 5.8
2009 39,570 9.9 1.22 0.59 0.59 17,101 4.3 2.2 22,469 5.6
2010 37,967 35,129 9.3 1.15 0.56 0.55 17,610 4.4 2 81.7 79.2 84 20,357 4.9
2011 39,654 36,178 9.5 1.2 0.58 0.58 18,027 4.5 2 82 79.5 84.1 21,627 5
2012 42,663 10.1 1.29 0.62 0.6 18,481 4.5 1.8 82.1 79.8 84.3 24,182 5.6
2013 39,720 9.3 1.19 0.57 0.57 18,938 4.6 2 82.4 80.1 84.5 18,982 4.7
2014 42,232 9.8 1.25 0.61 0.6 19,393 4.7 1.8 82.8 80.5 84.9 22,839 5.1
2015 42,185 1.24 19,862 22,323
2018 39,039 35,040 8.8 1.14 0.56 0.55 21,282 5 2.1 83.4 81.2 85.5 17,757 3.8
2019 39,279 35,330 8.8 1.14 0.56 0.56 21,446 5 1.7 83.6 81.4 85.7 17,833 3.8
2020 38,590 34,323 8.5 1.1 0.53 0.53 22,045 5.2 1.8 83.9 81.5 86.1 16,545 3.3
File:Life expectancy in Singapore.svg
Life expectancy in Singapore since 1950
File:Life expectancy by WBG -Singapore -diff.png
Life expectancy in Singapore since 1960 by gender
File:Singapore Population 1950-2021 Forecast 2022-2032 UN World Population Prospects 2022.svg
Population, fertility rate and net reproduction rate, United Nations estimates

Vital statistics

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Registered births and deaths

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Data from Singapore Department of Statistics, Ministry of Home Affairs, Republic of Singapore:<ref name="Singstat 2012" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Crude migration rate (per 1000) Total fertility rate (TFR)
1947 938,100
1948
1949
1950 1,022,100
1951 1,068,100
1952 1,127,000
1953 1,191,800
1954 1,248,200
1955 1,305,500
1956 1,371,600
1957 1,445,929
1958 1,518,800
1959 1,587,200
1960 1,646,400 61,775 10,210 51,565 37.5 6.2 31.3 5.76
1961 1,702,400 59,930 10,027 49,903 35.2 5.9 29.3 3.6 5.41
1962 1,750,200 58,977 10,178 48,799 33.7 5.8 27.9 —0.6 5.21
1963 1,795,000 59,530 10,138 49,392 33.2 5.6 27.5 —2.6 5.16
1964 1,841,600 58,217 10,434 47,783 31.6 5.7 25.9 —0.6 4.97
1965 1,886,900 55,725 10,263 45,462 29.5 5.4 24.1 —0.1 4.66
1966 1,934,400 54,680 10,444 44,236 28.3 5.4 22.9 1.7 4.46
1967 1,977,600 50,560 10,523 40,037 25.6 5.3 20.2 1.6 3.91
1968 2,012,000 47,241 10,982 36,259 23.5 5.5 18.0 —0.9 3.53
1969 2,042,500 44,562 10,224 34,338 21.8 5.0 16.8 —1.9 3.22
1970 2,074,507 45,934 10,717 35,217 22.1 5.2 17.0 —1.5 3.07
1971 2,122,900 47,088 11,329 35,759 22.3 5.4 16.8 6.0 3.02
1972 2,152,400 49,678 11,522 38,156 23.1 5.4 17.7 —4.0 3.04
1973 2,193,000 48,269 11,920 36,349 22.0 5.4 16.6 1.9 2.79
1974 2,229,800 43,268 11,674 31,594 19.4 5.2 14.2 2.3 2.35
1975 2,262,600 39,948 11,447 28,501 17.7 5.1 12.6 1.9 2.07
1976 2,293,300 42,783 11,648 31,135 18.7 5.1 13.6 —0.2 2.11
1977 2,325,300 38,364 11,955 26,409 16.5 5.1 11.4 2.4 1.82
1978 2,353,600 39,441 12,065 27,376 16.8 5.1 11.6 0.4 1.79
1979 2,383,500 40,779 12,468 28,311 17.1 5.2 11.9 0.7 1.79
1980 2,413,945 41,217 12,505 28,712 17.6 4.9 11.9 0.7 1.82
1981 2,532,835 42,250 12,863 29,387 17.6 4.9 11.6 48.6 1.78
1982 2,646,466 42,654 12,896 29,758 17.5 4.9 11.2 14.2 1.74
1983 2,681,061 40,585 13,321 27,264 16.3 5.0 10.2 9.2 1.61
1984 2,732,221 41,556 13,162 28,394 16.5 4.8 10.4 2.5 1.62
1985 2,735,957 42,484 13,348 29,136 16.6 4.9 10.6 —11.4 1.61
1986 2,733,373 38,379 12,821 25,558 14.8 4.6 9.4 5.9 1.43
1987 2,774,789 43,616 13,173 30,443 16.6 4.7 11.0 1.9 1.62
1988 2,846,108 52,957 13,690 39,267 19.8 4.9 13.8 2.2 1.96
1989 2,930,901 47,669 14,069 33,600 17.5 4.9 11.5 2.3 1.75
1990 3,047,132 51,142 13,891 37,251 18.2 4.7 12.2 4.2 1.83
1991 3,135,083 49,114 13,876 35,238 17.1 4.6 11.2 7.0 1.73
1992 3,230,698 49,402 14,337 35,065 16.8 4.7 10.9 4.7 1.72
1993 3,313,471 50,225 14,461 35,764 16.8 4.6 10.8 2.1 1.74
1994 3,419,048 49,554 14,946 34,608 16.2 4.7 10.1 2.1 1.71
1995 3,524,506 48,635 15,569 33,066 15.6 4.8 9.4 2.3 1.67
1996 3,670,704 48,577 15,590 32,987 15.2 4.7 9.0 3.1 1.66
1997 3,796,038 47,333 15,305 32,028 14.5 4.5 8.4 3.0 1.61
1998 3,927,213 43,664 15,657 28,007 13.1 4.6 7.1 3.1 1.48
1999 3,958,723 43,336 15,516 27,820 12.8 4.5 7.0 1.4 1.47
2000 4,027,887 46,997 15,693 31,304 13.7 4.5 7.8 4.2 1.60
2001 4,138,012 41,451 15,367 26,084 11.8 4.3 6.3 20.3 1.41
2002 4,175,950 40,760 15,820 24,940 11.4 4.4 6.0 —2.3 1.37
2003 4,114,826 37,485 16,036 21,449 10.5 4.5 5.2 2.5 1.27
2004 4,166,664 37,174 15,860 21,314 10.3 4.4 5.1 2.5 1.26
2005 4,265,762 37,492 16,215 21,277 10.2 4.4 5.0 4.8 1.26
2006 4,401,365 38,317 16,393 21,924 10.3 4.4 5.0 7.2 1.28
2007 4,588,599 39,490 17,140 22,350 10.3 4.5 4.9 8.2 1.29
2008 4,839,396 39,826 17,222 22,604 10.2 4.4 4.7 8.2 1.28
2009 4,987,573 39,570 17,101 22,469 9.9 4.3 4.5 2.7 1.22
2010 5,076,732 37,967 17,610 20,357 9.3 4.4 4.0 4.2 1.15
2011 5,183,688 39,654 18,027 21,627 9.5 4.5 4.2 5.2 1.20
2012 5,312,437 42,663 18,481 24,182 10.1 4.5 4.6 4.9 1.29
2013 5,399,162 39,720 18,938 20,782 9.3 4.6 3.8 2.9 1.19
2014 5,469,724 42,232 19,393 22,839 9.8 4.7 4.2 2.6 1.25
2015 5,535,002 42,185 19,862 22,323 9.7 4.8 4.0 9.0 1.24
2016 5,607,283 41,251 20,017 21,234 9.4 4.8 3.8 —2.9 1.20
2017 5,612,253 39,615 20,905 18,710 8.9 5.0 3.3 1.4 1.16
2018 5,638,676 39,039 21,282 17,757 8.8 5.0 3.1 8.4 1.14
2019 5,703,569 39,279 21,446 17,833 8.8 5.0 3.1 —6.2 1.14
2020 5,685,807 38,590 22,054 16,536 8.5 5.2 2.9 —43.8 1.10
2021 5,453,566 38,672 24,292 14,380 8.6 5.8 2.6 31.0 1.12
2022 5,637,022 35,605 26,891 8,714 7.9 6.3 1.5 48.2 1.04
2023 5,917,648 33,541 26,888 6,653 7.4 6.2 1.1 19.0 0.97
2024 6,036,860 33,699 26,442 7,257 7.4 6.0 1.2 18.6 0.97

Current vital statistics

[edit]
Period<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Live births Deaths Natural increase
January - June 2023 16,358 13,661 2,697
January - June 2024 16,035 13,393 2,642
Difference Template:Decrease -323 (-1.97%) Template:Decreasepositive -268 (-1.96%) Template:Decrease -55

Population by area

[edit]

Template:Largest planning areas of Singapore

Ethnic groups

[edit]

Template:Main

Post-independence

[edit]

In the post-independence period, the population of Singapore has been categorised into four main groups: Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Others. The CMIO system was first proposed in 1956 to organise the education system of Singapore by four national languages.<ref name="rocha">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Although population growth in Singapore was driven by immigration for a long period during the colonial period, the population increase in Singapore became dominated by native births in Singapore around the middle of the 20th century, and boomed after the Second World War. After Singapore became independent in 1965, the free movement of people between Malaysia and Singapore ended, and net immigration dropped to a low level of 24,000 in the decade of 1970–80 due to tighter control on immigration.<ref name="saw2" /> However, the fertility of the Chinese population declined sharply after the post-war boom, while that of the Malays remained high. There was therefore a corresponding percentage increase of the Malay population, which rose to 14.5% in 1967 after a long period of continual decline.<ref name="jstor1" />

From the 1980s onwards, the policy on immigration changed; the number of immigrants increased sharply and became again an important factor in the growth of population in Singapore. By the 1990–2000 period, the number of migrants had overtaken the natural population increase, constituting nearly two-thirds of the decadal population increase with 640,571 net migrants including non-residents.<ref name="saw2" /> While the racial composition of its citizens has been fairly constant in recent years, it shows a shift in the figures for its residents (citizens plus permanent residents). Fewer of the immigrants were Malays, therefore the percentage resident population of the Malays began to fall. Indian residents, however, rose to 9.2% in 2010 due to an increase in the number of Indians migrant workers (compared to 7.4% Indians in the figures for citizens).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The population profile of the country changed dramatically after the relaxation of immigration policy, with a huge increase in the number of transient migrant workers. Official figures show that the number of foreigners on short-term permits (termed 'non-residents') has grown from 30,900 in 1970 to 797,900 in 2005, which translate roughly to a 24-fold increase in 35 years, or from 1% of the population in 1970 to 18.3% in 2005. Despite this huge increase, no further breakdown is given by Singstat. By 2010, the population of non-residents had increased to 25.7%. It was estimated in the mid-2010s that around 40% of Singapore's population were of foreign origin (permanent residents plus non-residents such as foreign students and workers including dependents).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Proportion of non-residents out of total population<ref name="Singstat site" /><ref name="Singstat 2014" /><ref name="census2020"/>
1970 1980 1990 2000 2009 2014 2020
Non-residents (residents = citizens + PRs) 2.9% 5.5% 10.2% 18.7% 25.3% 29.3% 28.9%

While the Singapore Department of Statistics reports overall population figures for Singapore (4.48 million in 2006), as a matter of policy, it only provides more detailed demographic breakdown analysis for the approximately 80% of the population (in 2006) who are Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents (collectively termed 'residents'). Of this group of about 3.6 million people in 2006, Chinese form 75.2%, Malays form 13.6%, Indians form 8.8%, while Eurasians and other groups form 2.4%. No breakdown by ethnicity is released for the non-resident population. Currently around 60,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Europeans and 16,900 multiracial people with Asian and European heritage live in Singapore, over 1% of its total population.

Ethnic composition of resident population
Chinese Malays Indians Others
1970<ref name="Singstat site">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
1980<ref name="Singstat site" /> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
1990<ref name="Singstat 2012" /> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2000<ref name="Singstat 2012" /> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2010<ref name="Singstat 2012" /> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2011<ref name="Singstat 2012" /> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2012<ref name="Singstat 2012" /> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2013<ref name="Singstat 2012" /> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2015<ref name="Singstat 2014">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2017<ref name="population 2017">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2020<ref name="census2020" /> Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar

Template:Bar chart Template:Bar chart Template:Bar chart Template:Bar chart

Total fertility rate by ethnic group<ref name="Singstat 2012" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Year Chinese Malays Indians Total
1980 1.73 2.20 2.03 1.82
1990 1.65 2.69 1.89 1.83
2000 1.43 2.54 1.59 1.60
2007 1.14 1.94 1.25 1.29
2008 1.14 1.91 1.19 1.28
2009 1.08 1.82 1.14 1.22
2010 1.02 1.65 1.13 1.15
2011 1.08 1.64 1.09 1.20
2012 1.18 1.69 1.15 1.29
2013 1.05 1.66 1.11 1.19
2014 1.13 1.73 1.13 1.25
2015 1.10 1.79 1.15 1.24
2016 1.07 1.80 1.04 1.20
2017 1.01 1.82 1.00 1.16
2018 0.98 1.85 1.00 1.14
2019 0.99 1.80 0.98 1.14
2020 0.94 1.82 0.96 1.1
2021 0.96 1.82 1.05 1.12
2022 0.87 1.83 1.01 1.04
2023 0.81 1.65 0.95 0.97

Pre-independence

[edit]

Singapore, following its founding as a British free port by Stamford Raffles in the 19th century, did not have a sizeable native population as the population became dominated by three main groups of immigrants.<ref name="jstor1" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> When Raffles arrived in Singapore in January 1819, Singapore had approximately 120 Malays, 30 Chinese and some native tribes (Orang Laut) under the rule of the Temenggung.<ref name="early population">Template:Cite book</ref> Around 100 of the Malays had originally moved to Singapore from the mainland (Johor) in 1811, led by the Temenggung. Other estimates place the then population of Singapore at 1,000, belonging to various local tribes.<ref name="rahim" /> Early census figures show a long influx of migrant workers into the country, initially comprising mostly Malays, but shortly thereafter followed by the Chinese. By 1821, the population was estimated to have increased to 4,724 Malays and 1,150 Chinese.<ref name="early population" />

In the first census of 1824, 6,505 out of the 10,683 total were Malays and Bugis, constituting over 60% of the population. Large number of Chinese migrants started to enter Singapore just months after it became a British settlement, and they were predominantly male. In 1826, official census figures give a total population of 13,750, with 6,088 Chinese, 4,790 Malays, 1,242 Bugis, 1,021 Indians from Bengal (244) and the Coromandel Coast (777), smaller number of Javanese (267), Europeans (87) and other peoples.<ref name="census 1826" /> The population total of Singapore increased to 16,000 in 1829, 26,000 five years later. By 1836, the Chinese at 13,749 had become the most populous ethnic group, overtaking the broad Malay grouping (12,538, including other groups such as the Bugis, Javanese, and Balinese from the Dutch East Indies).<ref name="saw swee-hock">Template:Cite book</ref> By 1849, the population had reached 59,043, 24,790 of them Chinese.<ref name="anoma">Template:Cite book</ref>

Many of the migrants from China in the 19th century came to work on the pepper and gambier plantations, with 11,000 Chinese immigrants recorded in one year.<ref name="sanderson">Template:Cite book</ref> Singapore became one of the entry and dispersal points for large number of Chinese and Indian migrants who came to work in the plantations and mines of the Straits Settlements, many of whom then settled in Singapore after their contract ended. By 1860, the total population had reached around 90,000, of these 50,000 were Chinese, and 2,445 Europeans and Eurasians. The first thorough census in Singapore was undertaken in 1871, and the people were grouped into 33 racial, ethnic or national categories, with Chinese forming the largest group at 57.6%.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Censuses were then conducted at 10-year intervals afterwards. The 1881 census grouped the people into 6 main categories, and further subdivided into 47 sub-categories. The 6 broad groups were given as Europeans, Eurasians, Malays, Chinese, Indians and Others in 1921.<ref name="rocha" /> The Malays group included other natives of the Malay archipelago, the Europeans included Americans, the Indians would be people from the Indian subcontinent including what are now Pakistan and Bangladesh. In 1901, the total population of Singapore was 228,555,<ref name="sanderson" /> with 15.8% Malays, 71.8% Chinese, 7.8% Indians, and 3.5% Europeans and Eurasians. The Chinese population figure of Singapore has stayed at over 70% of the total since, reaching 77.8% in 1947. After dropping from a peak of 60% in the early years of Singapore, the Malay population settled within the range of 11 and 16% in the first half of the 20th century, while Indians hovered between 7 and just over 9% in the same period.<ref name="saw swee-hock" />

Population of colonial era Singapore
Ethnic group PopulationTemplate:Ref
1824<ref name="1823 census">Template:Cite web</ref> 1826<ref name="census 1826" /> 1836<ref name="census 1836" /> 1871<ref name="census 1871">Template:Cite book</ref> 1901<ref name="census 1871" /> 1931<ref name="census 1871" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 1957<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Europeans 74 87 141 1,946 3,824 8,082 10,826
Eurasians 117 2,164 4,120 6,903 11,382
Native ChristiansTemplate:Ref 188 421
Armenians 16 19 34 (81)
Arabs 15 26 41
MalaysTemplate:Ref 4,580 4,790 9,632 26,148 36,080 65,014 197,059
Bugis 1,925 1,242 1,962Template:Ref
Javanese 267 903
Chinese 3,317 6,088 13,749 54,572 164,041 418,640 1,090,596
Indians 756 1,021 2,930 11,610 17,824 50,811 124,084
OthersTemplate:Ref 12 50 671 2,667 8,275 11,982
Total 10,683 13,750 29,980 97,111 228,555 557,745 1,445,929
Annual growth rate for main ethnic groups in selected periods<ref name="Saw Swee-Hock 12" />
Ethnic group 1824–1830 1849–1860 1881–1891 1901–1911 1931–1947
Chinese 12.0% 5.4% 3.5% 3.0% 3.5%
Malays 2.9% 5.2% 0.1% 1.5% 3.6%
Indians 6.7% 6.8% 2.9% 5.0% 1.9%

Languages

[edit]
File:Quadrilingual danger sign - Singapore (gabbe).jpg
Quadrilingual construction warning sign written in Singapore's four official languages; English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay.

Template:Main

Template:Bar box

Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.

Malay is the national language of the country, although English is the official language used in the educational system and by the government. The colloquial English-based creole used in everyday life is often referred to as Singlish, spoken by all races of Singapore.

The government of Singapore promotes the use of Mandarin. The use of other Chinese varieties, like Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Hakka, has been declining over the last two decades, although they are still being used especially by the older generations of the Chinese population.

About 60% of Indian Singaporeans are Tamils although the percentage of those who speak Tamil at home has been declining, with around 37% of Singaporean Indians speaking Tamil at home according to the 2010 census.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other spoken Indian languages are Punjabi, Malayalam, Hindi and Bengali, but none of them alone is spoken by more than 10% of the Indian Singaporeans. As with Chinese Singaporeans, a large proportion of Indian Singaporeans speak English at home.<ref name="singstat.gov.sg">Census of Population 2010 Statistical Release 1 – Demographic Characteristics, Education, Language and Religion Template:Webarchive</ref>

Around 5,000 to 10,000 Peranakans, the early Chinese population of the region, still use the Hokkien-influenced Malay dialect called Baba Malay.

Languages of Singapore most frequently spoken at home
Year English Mandarin
Chinese
Malay Chinese
dialects
Tamil Others
1980 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
1990 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2000 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2010 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2020 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar

Religion

[edit]

Template:Main

Template:Pie chart The main religions of Singapore are Chinese folk religion, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism, with a significant number who profess no religion.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Census 2000 religion">Template:Cite web</ref>

Singapore has freedom of religion, although the government restricts some religions such as Jehovah's Witnesses, due to their opposition to conscription. The majority of Malays are Muslim, while the plurality of Chinese practise Buddhism and syncretic Chinese folk traditions. Christianity is growing in the country. Taoism was overtaken as the second-most prominent religion in the 2000 census among the Chinese as more have increasingly described themselves as Buddhists rather than Taoist.<ref name="Census 2000 religion"/> Indians are mostly Hindus, though many are Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians. People who practise no religion form the third largest group in Singapore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Marriage and divorce

[edit]
Marriages and divorces<ref name="Singstat 2015 Population" /><ref>Template:Cite web Singapore Department of Statistics.</ref>
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Number of marriages (excluding previously married) 24,596 26,081 24,363 27,258 27,936 26,254 28,407
Number of divorces (not including divorces under Muslim law) 5,170 5,416 5,433 5,696 5,306 5,471 5,172 5,450 5,505 5,570
Median age of first marriage (years)
...Grooms 29.8 29.8 30.0 30.1 30.1 30.1 30.2
...Brides 27.3 27.5 27.7 28.0 28.0 28.1 28.2
General marriage rate
...Males (per 1,000 unmarried resident males aged 15 to 49) 43.5 43.4 39.3 43.5 43.8 40.5 44.4
...Females (per 1,000 unmarried resident females aged 15 to 49) 39.6 38.9 35.3 39.2 39.4 36.9 40.8
Median age at divorce (years)
...Grooms 39.9 40.5 41.0 41.3 41.6 42.4 42.6
...Brides 36.3 36.9 37.4 37.7 38.0 38.2 38.4
General divorce rate
...Males (per 1,000 married resident males aged 20 years and over) 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.6 7.1 7.3 7.0
...Females (per 1,000 married resident females aged 20 years and over) 7.3 7.1 7.2 7.2 6.7 6.9 6.5
Crude marriage rate (per 1,000 resident population) 6.7
Crude rate of marital dissolution (per 1,000 resident population) 2.0

Literacy and education

[edit]
Literacy rate population aged 15 years and above<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Year Total Male Female
1960 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
1970 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
1980 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
1990 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2000 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2010 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2020 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
Highest qualification attained of resident non-student population aged 25 years and over<ref name="Singstat 2012" />
Year Below secondary Secondary Post-secondary
(non-tertiary)
Diploma or
professional
qualification
University
2001 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2011 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2020 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar

Among residents aged 25–39 years, the percentage of university graduates increased from 23.7% in 2001 to 45.9% in 2011 while that who had attained a diploma or professional qualification increased from 15.9% to 22.9% over the same period.<ref name="Singstat 2012" />

Employment

[edit]

In 2005, the unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and over was 2.5%, the lowest in the last four years, with a labour force of 2.3 million people.<ref>"Latest Data (1 February 2006) Template:WebarchiveSingapore Department of Statistics. URL accessed on 2 February 2006.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news By May Wong.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web Department of Statistics, Singapore.</ref>

Employment (thousands)<ref name="MOM 2012">Labour Market 2012 Template:Webarchive Ministry of Manpower, Singapore.</ref>
Year Employment change Employment in December 2012
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Total −22.9 −12.9 71.4 113.3 176.0 234.9 221.6 37.6 115.9 122.6 129.1 3,357.6
Total (excluding foreign domestic workers) −23.6 −11.7 66.4 105.5 168.0 223.5 213.4 32.9 110.6 117.7 125.8 3,148.0
Locals 19.4 14.9 49.9 63.5 90.9 90.4 64.7 41.8 56.2 37.9 58.7 2,089.3
Foreigners −42.3 −27.9 21.5 49.8 85.1 144.5 156.9 −4.2 59.7 84.8 70.4 1,268.3
Foreigners (excluding foreign domestic workers) −43.0 −26.6 16.5 42.0 77.1 133.1 148.7 −8.9 54.4 79.8 67.1 1,058.7
Unemployment rate (%) for persons aged 15 years and over<ref name="Singstat 2015 Key Indicators">topic1 Template:Webarchive (Key Indicators). See Table 1.14 on Education and Literacy and Table 1.11 on Employment. Retrieved from Statistics Singapore – Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, 2015, Department of Statistics, Singapore. Retrieved on 28 August 2015.</ref><ref name="MOM 2012" />
Year Overall Residents Singapore citizens
2002 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2003 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2004 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2005 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2006 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2007 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2008 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2009 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2010 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2011 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2012 Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar Template:Percentage bar
2013 Template:Percentage bar
2014 Template:Percentage bar

Household income

[edit]

Average household monthly income

[edit]

The average household monthly income was SGD 4,943 in 2000, which was an increase of $3,080 in 1990 at an average annual rate of 4.9%. The average household income experienced a drop of 2.7% in 1999 due to economic slowdown. Measured in 1990 dollars, the average household monthly income rose from SGD$3,080 in 1990 to SGD$4,170 in 2000 at an average annual rate of 3.1%.<ref name="adr-hhinc">Template:Cite web Department of Statistics, Singapore.</ref>

Household income from work (SGD)<ref name="adr-hhinc" /><ref name="adr2011-hhinc">Template:Cite web Department of Statistics, Singapore.</ref>
Year 1990 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2010 2011 2017
Average income 3,076 4,107 4,745 4,822 4,691 4,943 8,726 9,618 11,589
Median income 2,296 3,135 3,617 3,692 3,500 3,607 5,600 6,307 8,846
Households income from work by ethnic group per head (SGD)<ref name="adr-hhinc" />
Ethnic group Average household
income
Median household
income
1990 2000 2010<ref name="sing stat">Template:Cite web</ref> 1990 2000 2010<ref name="sing stat" /> 2020
Total 3,076 4,943 7,214 2,296 3,607 5,000 7,744
Chinese 3,213 5,219 7,326 2,400 3,848 5,100 7,792
Malays 2,246 3,148 4,575 1,880 2,708 3,844 5,704
Indians 2,859 4,556 7,664 2,174 3,387 5,370 8,500
Others 3,885 7,250 2,782 4,775

Household income distribution

[edit]
Resident households by monthly household income from work including employer CPF contributions (%)<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
No working person 8.6 6.9 9 9.7 9.8 10 9 8.6 8.6 9.6 10.5 9.3 9.2 9.4 10.4 9.7 10.8 11.8 12.1 13.2
Retiree households 2.6 2.3 3 3.6 3.7 3.5 4.1 4.1 3.8 4 4.1 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.7 5.3 6.1 6.9 7.1 7.9
Below $1,000 3.3 3.9 4 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.3 3.8 4.1 3.5 3.2 3 2.7 2.3 2 2 1.9 1.9 1.8
$1,000–$1,999 12.2 11.1 11.5 11.1 11.4 10.9 10.5 9.8 8.3 7.8 7 6.5 6.2 6.2 5.9 5.7 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.1
$2,000–$2,999 13.2 12.7 12.5 11.9 12.2 11.4 11.2 10 8.6 8.6 8.2 7.1 6.3 6.3 5.8 5.8 5.4 5.1 5.2 4.9
$3,000–$3,999 12.6 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.4 10.7 10.8 9.7 8.5 8.9 8.3 7.6 6.6 6.7 6 5.5 5.3 5.5 5.2 5.2
$4,000–$4,999 10.2 9.8 9.5 9.4 9.6 9.1 8.9 8.8 8.4 8.1 7.9 7.2 7 6.3 5.9 5.9 5.4 5.2 5.3 5.4
$5,000–$5,999 8.3 8.3 8.1 7.9 7.9 7.9 8.1 7.7 7.3 7.5 7.4 7 6.8 6.4 6.1 5.7 5.9 5.4 5.4 4.9
$6,000–$6,999 6.7 6.7 6.4 6.9 6.3 6.4 6.9 6.8 6.4 6.9 6.7 6.5 6.1 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.2 5.2 4.9
$7,000–$7,999 5.1 5.3 5.1 4.9 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.7 5.9 5.7 5.7 6 5.8 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.1 5.2 4.6 4.6
$8,000–$8,999 4 4.3 4.3 4 4.1 4.5 4.4 4.7 5.1 4.7 5.1 5.4 5.4 5.1 5.1 5.3 4.9 5 4.7 4.6
$9,000–$9,999 3.1 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.8 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.6 4.6 4.4 4.1
$10,000–$10,999 2.4 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.8 3.7 3.8 4.1 4.1 4.4 4.7 4.3 4.6 4.3 4.3 4.2
$11,000–$11,999 1.8 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.6 3.2 2.9 3 3.3 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.8
$12,000–$12,999 1.5 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.9 1.9 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.7 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.4
$13,000–$13,999 1.1 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.9 2 2.2 2.1 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 3 3 3 3.2 3
$14,000–$14,999 0.9 1.1 1.1 1.1 1 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.8
$15,000–$17,499 1.6 2 1.8 1.9 1.8 2.1 2 2.6 3.2 3.2 3.5 4.2 4.6 4.7 4.9 5.2 5.5 5.6 5.8 5.4
$17,500–$19,999 1 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.7 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.8 3.1 3.3 3.5 3.8 4 4.1 4.2 4.1
$20,000 and over 2.4 3.2 2.8 3 2.9 3.4 3.8 4.7 6.4 5.7 6.6 8 9.2 9.9 11 12.1 12.4 13.3 13.5 14.4
Resident households by monthly household income from work excluding employer CPF contributions (%)<ref name=":1" />
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
No working person 8.6 6.9 9 9.7 9.8 10 9 8.6 8.6 9.6 10.5 9.3 9.2 9.4 10.4 9.7 10.8 11.8 12.1 13.2
Retiree households 2.6 2.3 3 3.6 3.7 3.5 4.1 4.1 3.8 4 4.1 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.7 5.3 6.1 6.9 7.1 7.9
Below $1,000 3.9 4.4 4.6 5.2 4.8 4.8 4.9 4.7 4 4.3 3.7 3.4 3.2 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.1 2 2
$1,000–$1,999 13.8 13.3 13.6 13 12.9 12.3 11.9 10.9 9.5 9 8.2 7.5 7 7.2 6.7 6.6 6.4 6.2 6.1 5.9
$2,000–$2,999 14.7 14.2 14.1 13.9 13.6 12.7 12.4 11.2 9.8 9.9 9.3 8.3 7.3 7.2 6.7 6.5 6 6 6 5.5
$3,000–$3,999 13.1 12.6 12.4 12.2 12.2 11.5 11.3 10.6 9.7 9.9 9.3 8.3 7.7 7.4 7 6.7 6.4 6.2 6 6.2
$4,000–$4,999 10.3 10 9.8 9.7 9.8 9.4 9.5 9.2 8.9 8.5 8.6 8.2 8 7.4 6.8 6.5 6.5 6.1 6.3 5.8
$5,000–$5,999 8.2 8.3 7.9 8.2 7.8 7.9 8.2 7.9 7.6 8.2 7.8 7.5 7.3 6.9 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.3 6 6
$6,000–$6,999 6.3 6.3 6.1 6 6 6.3 6.4 6.7 6.4 6.7 6.6 6.7 6.4 6.3 6.1 6.1 6 5.8 5.5 5.4
$7,000–$7,999 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.6 4.8 5 4.9 5.3 5.9 5.2 5.6 6 5.9 5.8 5.7 5.9 5.6 5.7 5 5
$8,000–$8,999 3.5 3.9 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.6 4.6 4.8 5.2 5.3 5 5.2 5 5.3 5 5.2 4.6
$9,000–$9,999 2.6 3 2.9 2.6 2.7 2.8 3 3.4 3.9 3.7 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.6 4.7 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.5
$10,000–$10,999 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.4 2.6 3 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.7 4.2 4.3 4 4.3 4.3 3.9 4.2 4.2
$11,000–$11,999 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.8 1.9 1.9 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.7 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.5
$12,000–$12,999 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 2 2 2.3 2.2 2.5 2.6 3 3.1 3.2 3 3 3.1 3.2
$13,000–$13,999 0.9 1.1 1 1.1 1 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.6 1.8 1.8 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.6
$14,000–$14,999 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.9 1.1 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4
$15,000–$17,499 1.3 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.6 2.1 2.7 2.6 2.8 3.6 3.8 4 4.1 4.4 4.6 4.9 5.1 4.8
$17,500–$19,999 0.8 1.1 1 0.9 0.9 1 1.3 1.5 1.8 1.6 1.8 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.9 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.5
$20,000 and over 2 2.5 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.9 3.4 4.2 5.5 4.9 5.7 6.8 7.7 8.3 9.2 10.1 9.9 10.7 11.1 11.7

Growth in household income by decile

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With the recovery from the 1998 economic slowdown, household income growth had resumed for the majority of households in 2000. However, for the lowest two deciles, the average household income in 2000 had declined compared with 1999. This was mainly due to the increase in the proportion of households with no income earner from 75% in 1999 to 87% in 2000 for the lowest 10%. Households with no income earner include those with retired elderly persons as well as unemployed members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Average monthly household income from work including employer CPF contributions among resident employed households(SGD)<ref name="Singstat Income">Key Household Income Trends 2012 Template:Webarchive Department of Statistics, Singapore.</ref><ref>"Household Income from work 2000–2014" Template:Webarchive, The Department of Statistics, Singapore. Retrieved 4 October 2015</ref>
Decile Average monthly household income (SGD) Nominal annual change (%)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Total 5,947 6,417 6,229 6,276 6,285 6,593 6,792 7,431 8,414 8,195 8,726 9,618 10,348 10,469 11,143 7.9 −2.9 0.8 0.1 4.9 3.0 9.4 13.2 −2.6 6.5 10.2 7.6 1.2 6.4
1st – 10th 1,382 1,331 1,266 1,223 1,232 1,257 1,258 1,321 1,399 1,361 1,497 1,581 1,644 1,711 1,775 −3.7 −4.9 −3.4 0.7 2.0 0.1 5.0 5.9 −2.7 10.0 5.6 4.0 4.1 3.7
11th – 20th 2,241 2,275 2,180 2,164 2,199 2,257 2,305 2,418 2,700 2,696 2,940 3,135 3,302 3,372 3,641 1.5 −4.2 −0.7 1.6 2.6 2.1 4.9 11.7 −0.1 9.1 6.6 5.3 2.1 8.0
21st – 30th 2,986 3,043 2,944 2,984 2,988 3,116 3,182 3,379 3,831 3,787 4,158 4,421 4,782 4,993 5,226 1.9 −3.3 1.4 0.1 4.3 2.1 6.2 13.4 −1.1 9.8 6.3 8.2 4.4 4.7
31st – 40th 3,683 3,867 3,722 3,746 3,786 4,020 4,038 4,335 4,906 4,978 5,418 5,794 6,183 6,376 6,863 5.0 −3.7 0.6 1.1 6.2 0.4 7.4 13.2 1.5 8.8 6.9 6.7 3.1 7.6
41st – 50th 4,505 4,680 4,572 4,637 4,648 4,859 4,971 5,358 6,055 5,980 6,603 7,032 7,608 7,993 8,303 3.9 −2.3 1.4 0.2 4.5 2.3 7.8 13.0 −1.2 10.4 6.5 8.2 5.1 3.9
51st – 60th 5,304 5,677 5,522 5,638 5,504 5,865 6,027 6,561 7,492 7,319 7,840 8,436 9,133 9,469 10,108 7.0 −2.7 2.1 −2.4 6.6 2.8 8.9 14.2 −2.3 7.1 7.6 8.3 3.7 6.7
61st – 70th 6,354 6,751 6,664 6,725 6,633 7,136 7,180 7,928 8,957 8,798 9,310 10,101 10,894 11,293 11,861 6.2 −1.3 0.9 −1.4 7.6 0.6 10.4 13.0 −1.8 5.8 8.5 7.9 3.7 5.0
71st – 80th 7,608 8,322 8,132 8,229 8,012 8,641 8,809 9,479 10,820 10,694 11,105 12,306 13,186 13,807 14,496 9.4 −2.3 1.2 −2.6 7.9 1.9 7.6 14.1 −1.2 3.8 10.8 7.2 4.7 5.0
81st – 90th 9,461 10,755 10,294 10,271 10,350 10,701 11,048 12,386 14,013 13,423 13,943 15,509 16,366 16,984 18,017 13.7 −4.3 −0.2 0.8 3.4 3.2 12.1 13.1 −4.2 3.9 11.2 5.5 3.8 6.1
91st – 100th 15,946 17,467 16,998 17,146 17,493 18,076 19,100 21,146 23,968 22,909 24,442 27,867 30,379 28,688 31,142 9.5 −2.7 0.9 2.0 3.3 5.7 10.7 13.3 −4.4 6.7 14.0 9.0 −5.6 8.6
Average monthly household income from work excluding employer CPF contributions among resident employed households(SGD)<ref name="Singstat Income" />
Decile Average monthly household income (SGD) Nominal annual change (%)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Total 5,456 5,736 5,572 5,618 5,761 6,052 6,280 6,889 7,752 7,549 8,058 8,864 9,515 5.1 −2.9 0.8 2.5 5.1 3.8 9.7 12.5 −2.6 6.7 10.0 7.3
1st – 10th 1,285 1,209 1,151 1,112 1,140 1,162 1,165 1,223 1,300 1,264 1,385 1,460 1,518 −5.9 −4.8 −3.4 2.5 1.9 0.3 5.0 6.3 −2.8 9.6 5.4 4.0
11th – 20th 2,062 2,040 1,956 1,942 2,009 2,064 2,114 2,218 2,464 2,462 2,679 2,834 2,985 −1.1 −4.1 −0.7 3.5 2.7 2.4 4.9 11.1 −0.1 8.8 5.8 5.3
21st – 30th 2,737 2,717 2,627 2,668 2,721 2,833 2,903 3,078 3,464 3,436 3,759 3,988 4,290 −0.7 −3.3 1.6 2.0 4.1 2.5 6.0 12.5 −0.8 9.4 6.1 7.6
31st – 40th 3,367 3,434 3,312 3,330 3,431 3,645 3,673 3,950 4,420 4,495 4,887 5,200 5,529 2.0 −3.6 0.5 3.0 6.2 0.8 7.5 11.9 1.7 8.7 6.4 6.3
41st – 50th 4,097 4,149 4,043 4,103 4,200 4,390 4,514 4,870 5,455 5,391 5,959 6,303 6,800 1.3 −2.6 1.5 2.4 4.5 2.8 7.9 12.0 −1.2 10.5 5.8 7.9
51st – 60th 4,830 5,015 4,884 4,981 4,978 5,301 5,477 5,962 6,753 6,601 7,090 7,587 8,196 3.8 −2.6 2.0 −0.1 6.5 3.3 8.9 13.3 −2.3 7.4 7.0 8.0
61st – 70th 5,773 5,971 5,891 5,936 6,005 6,458 6,535 7,234 8,107 7,972 8,450 9,147 9,806 3.4 −1.3 0.8 1.2 7.5 1.2 10.7 12.1 −1.7 6.0 8.2 7.2
71st – 80th 6,919 7,365 7,187 7,273 7,256 7,846 8,046 8,694 9,849 9,733 10,142 11,193 11,973 6.4 −2.4 1.2 −0.2 8.1 2.5 8.1 13.3 −1.2 4.2 10.4 7.0
81st – 90th 8,631 9,557 9,144 9,142 9,443 9,797 10,203 11,491 12,916 12,354 12,887 14,307 15,038 10.7 −4.3 0.0 3.3 3.7 4.1 12.6 12.4 −4.4 4.3 11.0 5.1
91st – 100th 14,862 15,905 15,524 15,688 16,425 17,021 18,170 20,174 22,797 21,784 23,345 26,622 29,012 7.0 −2.4 1.1 4.7 3.6 6.8 11.0 13.0 −4.4 7.2 14.0 9.0

Household income ratio

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The disparity in household income had widened in 2000, reflecting the faster income growth for the higher-income households.<ref name="adr-hhinc" /><ref>http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/pdf/hdr04_HDI.pdf United Nations Development Programme Report 2004 Template:Webarchive See page 50–53.</ref>

Gini coefficient among resident employed households<ref name="Singstat Income" />
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Household income from work excluding employer CPF contributions per household member 0.444 0.456 0.457 0.460 0.464 0.470 0.476 0.489 0.481 0.478 0.480 0.482 0.488
Household income from work including employer CPF contributions per household member 0.442 0.454 0.454 0.457 0.460 0.465 0.470 0.482 0.474 0.471 0.472 0.473 0.478
Household income from work including employer CPF contributions per household member after accounting for government transfers and taxes 0.434 0.437 0.433 0.446 0.446 0.449 0.444 0.467 0.449 0.448 0.452 0.448 0.459
Ratio of household income from work per household member at the 90th percentile to 10th percentile among resident employed households<ref name="Singstat Income" />
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Household income from work excluding employer CPF contributions per household member 7.74 8.68 8.49 8.51 8.81 9.26 9.3 9.52 9.61 9.25 9.43 9.12 9.18
Household income from work including employer CPF contributions per household member 7.75 8.58 8.82 8.81 8.87 9.06 9.23 9.38 9.64 9.43 9.35 9.19 9.14
Household income from work including employer CPF contributions per household member after accounting for government transfers and taxes 7.68 7.82 7.71 8.28 8.24 8.3 7.68 8.68 7.94 8.00 8.1 7.54 7.87

See also

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Template:Portal

References

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Template:Reflist

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