Update 20 Sep 2023: Singapore population hits 5.92m
Singapore’s total population hit a record 5.92 million, a 5 per cent increase from a year ago. The population rebounded from declines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has since exceeded the 2019 population of 5.7 million.
"The total population of 5.92 million as at June 2023 is the highest recorded figure in Singapore’s history," said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The figures were published on Friday (Sep 29) in the annual Population in Brief report by the National Population and Talent Division, Prime Minister’s Office. Of the 5.92 million, there were 4.15 million residents and 1.77 million non-residents, which comprise the foreign workforce, dependants and international students.
Singapore citizens made up 3.61 million or 61 per cent of the total. This is a 1.6 per cent rise from last year. The permanent resident (PR) population increased by 3.7 per cent to 538,600 in June 2023. The report said that with the easing of travel restrictions related to COVID-19, more citizens and PRs living overseas returned to Singapore. This was the largest contributing factor to the increases in the citizen and PR populations.
Singapore 'Stop at Two' Policy
The two-child policy was a population control measure introduced by the Singapore government during the 1970s to encourage couples to have no more than two children. It was part of the second Five-Year National Family Planning Programme (1972–75) that was unveiled at the launch of the 1972 National Family Planning Campaign.
As part of the two-child policy, the government introduced a set of disincentives pertaining to childbirth fees, income tax, maternity leave and prioritisation of public housing allocation aimed at penalising couples who had more than two children from 1 August 1973 onwards. In addition, the government launched an array of family-planning events to garner public support for the policy.
Among the most notable activities were the publicity campaigns that carried messages such as “Small families, brighter future – Two is enough” and “The more you have, the less they get – Two is enough”.
- The current population of Singapore is 5,850,412 as of Thursday, July 2, 2020, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.
- Singapore 2020 population is estimated at 5,850,342 people at mid year according to UN data.
- Singapore population is equivalent to 0.08% of the total world population.
- Singapore ranks number 114 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
- The population density in Singapore is 8358 per Km2 (21,646 people per mi2).
- The total land area is 700 Km2 (270 sq. miles).
- 100% of the population is urban (5,850,342 people in 2020).
- The median age in Singapore is 42.2 years.
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Why are Singapore's official population statistics different from those released by international organisations?
Some people have noticed that the official statistics on Singapore’s population are different from those released by international organisations like the United Nations (UN).
We are not the only country where there are such discrepancies. The official population statistics of many countries also differ from those reported by international organisations. These differences often occur because international organisations try to use a similar methodology for all countries for comparison, whereas individual countries provide statistics which take into account their local context and are more relevant for policy making. Since academic and public research often rely on population statistics from international organisations or use them to derive social and economic insights about a country, it is important to understand the reasons behind these differences.
This article attempts to explain the three main reasons why population statistics differ:
- different population coverage
- different definitions of who is present in the country
- different methodologies and assumptions used for population projections
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Population and Population Structure
1 Refers to % change in latest period over the same period in the previous year.
2 Refers to % change in the previous period over the same period in the previous year.
3 Total population comprises Singapore residents and non-residents. The resident population comprises Singapore citizens and permanent residents
4 Refers to the resident population.
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The case for a 10 million population in Singapore
We recently came across an article on CNBC discussing ex-HDB chief Liu Thai Ker’s belief that Singapore needs to plan for a population of 10 million. It is easy to dismiss his comments as the usual propaganda, where the government tries to start prepping its citizens for an inevitable expansion of the population. We think it is worth looking at the merits and weaknesses in this argument for the planning of a population of 10 million.
Avoiding another population policy disaster - Singapore currently accommodates more than 5.3 million people as of 2013. In 2000, this number was at 4 million. That means an increased of about 1.3 million people over a span of 13 years, or 100,000 per annum.
The current government’s white paper describes its vision for a population of 6.9 million people. Hence, there is a significant way to go before we hit 10 million, assuming we do reach there. In addition, the government has restricted immigration over the past few years and appears committed to this restriction, as least for the time being.
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Singapore must plan for 10M population: Ex-HDB chief
Singapore must start planning for a population that could possibly hit 10 million, Liu Thai Ker, the man often credited as the architect of modern Singapore, told CNBC.
The bold number suggested by Liu, who served as the chief executive of the Housing Board from 1979-1989 and then as CEO and chief planner of the Urban Development Authority from 1989-1992, is nearly double the current 5.3 million population and significantly higher than the 6.9 million figure proposed by the Singapore government in its 2013 Population White Paper.
In the white paper, the government described its vision of raising the country's population by as much as 30 percent in the next two decades to ensure the economy remains dynamic. However, the move sparked strong objections amid rising discontent in the land-scarce nation over soaring housing costs and an influx of immigrants.
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No lack of space for 10 million population
“Land scarcity is a very real problem for Singapore, which explains the ever-increasing land costs and property prices which are driven by pent-up demand.”
Singaporeans have been brought up to accept statements like this as a gospel truth. Many do not even question the meaning of scarcity and without looking at the growth of the nation, do not realise that Singapore’s land size has increased by 100 square kilometers in the last 35 years. Add to that the advances in space planning, improved transport systems, enhanced construction capabilities leading to a much higher population density and “Voila!”, we have 5.54 million people today.
Traffic travels along the Tampines Expressway past public buildings in Punggol (right), while a man enters his home in Sengkang, where the number of flats under HDB management are projected to increase to 92,000 from the current 59,497
The brief statistics are, in the 35-year period between 1980 and 2015, our population grew 129% from 2.41 million to 5.54 million, made possible by a 16% increase in land size from 617.9 sqkm to 719.1 sqkm and a 97% increase in population density from 3,907 people per sqkm to 7,697 people per sqkm.
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Singapore should plan for population of 10m
The Republic should plan for a population of 10 million in the long term if it is to remain sustainable as a country, says the man known widely as the architect of modern Singapore. According to Liu Thai Ker, Singapore should not stop its population growth projection at the figure of 6.9 million listed in the 2013 White Paper on Population.
"That is an interim figure and projection and obviously Singapore is going to grow beyond that," he said yesterday at a seminar, "Building a Nation: Tomorrow, Challenges and Possibilities for a Liveable Singapore".
As architect-planner and CEO of the Housing Development Board from 1969 to 1989, Mr Liu oversaw the completion of over half a million public housing units, and as CEO and chief planner of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) from 1989 to 1992, he spearheaded the major revision of the Singapore Concept Plan and key direction for heritage conservation.
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Look ahead to 10 million people by 2100?
Singapore should look beyond 2030 and plan for a more distant future --- perhaps even one with 10 million people, former chief planner Liu Thai Ker said at a public forum on Saturday.
"The world doesn't end in 2030, and population growth doesn't end at 6.9 million," he said, referring to the planning parameter in the Government's White Paper on Population.
Singapore could do well to look ahead, perhaps to 2100 when it might have a population of 10 million, he suggested.
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New towns, industries are being built, now what S’pore needs are new people - PM Lee
There are many new plans to build Singapore for the next generation, but the country first needs birth rates to rise so that the population can grow “a little bit”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday (Oct 10).
“We have so many plans for Singapore, in terms of new industries, new businesses, new schools, new opportunities, new towns to live in, new parks — a new society to be built for the next generation. And what we need are new people — our children,” Mr Lee told Nikkei Asian Review editor-at-large Takehiko Koyanagi at a dialogue held at the National University of Singapore.
Laying out the state of Singapore’s demographic challenge today, Mr Lee said that the population is growing slightly. Each year, there are around 35,000 Singaporeans born and 35,000 new permanent residents — out of which about 20,000 become citizens.
related: Spore's total population grows to 5.7 million mainly due to more foreign workers
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