People & Society
Photo credits: Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth
A strong and cohesive Singapore society is one that also embraces diversity. Singapore has a rich history of welcoming people of different cultures and backgrounds; and many Singaporeans can trace their ancestry beyond the country’s shores.
The coexistence and intermixing of cultures continue today. In the past decade, about 1 in 5 citizen marriages were inter-ethnic1 (Chart 6). More than 1 in 3 citizen marriages involved transnational2 couples (Chart 7), with the exception of 2020 when the proportion decreased to 30 per cent. This decrease may have been partly due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions3.
Chart 6 – Inter-ethnic marriages as a proportion of citizen marriages, 2010 - 2020
Source: Department of Statistics
The figures are based on the full calendar year (January to December).
Chart 7 – Transnational marriages as a proportion of citizen marriages, 2010 - 2020
Source: Department of Statistics
The figures are based on the full calendar year (January to December).
In Singapore, the number of immigrants is carefully managed. Singapore grants between 15,000 and 25,000 new citizenships annually, to individuals who are committed to making Singapore their home and who can integrate and contribute to Singapore. Since the tightening of the immigration framework in late-2009, Singapore has accepted about 30,000 new PRs a year. This keeps the PR population size stable, and provides a pool of candidates who may be suitable for citizenship. The size of the PR population has remained at around half a million.
The number of citizenships granted also includes those granted to children born overseas to Singaporean parents (“citizens by descent”). These children made up about 1,500 of the new citizenships granted each year between 2010 and 2020.
The exact number of new SC/ PRs granted each year depends on several factors, including the number and quality of applications received, and our changing needs.
Every application for SC/ PR is evaluated holistically to assess the applicant’s ability to integrate in and contribute to Singapore, and their commitment to sinking roots here. Various markers of integration are considered, such as applicants’ family ties to Singaporeans, length of residency here, and whether they have studied in Singapore schools or completed National Service. Other factors considered include the applicant’s economic contributions, qualifications and age.
New citizens must make the effort to fit in. To help them along, the National Integration Council (NIC) supports initiatives such as the Singapore Citizenship Journey (SCJ), a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the People’s Association (PA) and the Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). All naturalised citizens go through the SCJ to understand Singapore’s history, norms and values, and in the process build stronger ties with the community. Singaporeans were invited to join the Citizen’s Workgroup for SCJ to explore, discuss and create content that is being used to update the SCJ.
Integration is a two-way process. As the newcomers learn and adapt to local values and norms, locals can also play a part by reaching out and helping them understand our local culture and way of life.
1 Inter-ethnic marriages refer to marriages between persons of different ethnicity (e.g. Chinese-Indian, Indian-Malay, Chinese-Others).
2 Transnational marriages refer to marriages involving a citizen and a non-citizen (i.e. permanent resident or non-resident).
3 From late-March 2020, all non-residents require entry approval to enter Singapore. Video link solemnisations were an option for couples from mid-May 2020 onwards, but both parties need to be physically in Singapore.