Overview

Singapore’s total population stands at 5.69 million as of June 2020 (Diagram 1), a slight decrease of 0.3 per cent from June 2019 to June 2020. Overall, the total population growth rate over the past five years was slower compared to the previous five-year period.

Diagram 1: Total Population, as of June 2020

Singapore’s citizen population grew by 0.6 per cent to 3.52 million as of June 2020, through more citizen births, and a selective immigration policy. The number of new citizens and new Permanent Residents (PRs) granted every year has remained stable at an average of about 22,100 citizens and 31,700 PRs per year, from 2015 to 2019. The size of the PR population has also remained stable at around half a million (Chart 1).

Chart 1: Total Population by residency status, as of June 2020

The non-resident population decreased by 2.1 per cent to reach 1.64 million, as of June 2020. There was a decrease in foreign employment from June 2019 to June 2020 (Chart 2), mainly in the services sector. By pass type, the decrease in foreign employment was mainly driven by a decrease in the number of Work Permit Holders. These trends were largely due to COVID-19 related challenges, brought about by weak demand and travel restrictions.

Chart 2: Foreign Employment Growth, as of June 2020

With increasing life expectancy and low fertility rates, the proportion of Singapore’s citizen population aged 65 and above is rising (Chart 3), and at a faster pace compared to the last decade.

Chart 3: Citizen population by broad age groups, as of June 2020

More Singaporeans are starting families. On average, more citizens got married in the five-year period between 2015 and 2019 (23,600 each year), compared to (22,400 each year) between 2010 and 2014 (Chart 4).

Chart 4 – Citizen marriages, 2009 - 2019

Singapore welcomed 32,844 citizen births in 2019. On average, more citizen babies were born between 2015 and 2019 (32,900 on average each year) than between 2010 and 2014 (31,700 on average each year, Chart 5).

Chart 5 – Citizen births, 2009 - 2019

However, resident Total Fertility Rate remained below the replacement rate of 2.1 at 1.14 in 2019, which is the same as the year before. This is partly due to later marriages and childbearing. The median age of first-time mothers increased from 28.5 years in 2000, to 30.6 years in 2019.

These figures are from the annual Population in Brief publication, which provides key updates and trends on Singapore’s population.