Singapore population inched up 0.5% to 5.64 million in June

The citizen population grew 1% to 3.47 million, boosting growth.

Singapore’s total population grew by 0.5% to 5.64 million in June 2018, mainly due to the stable growth in citizen population.

The citizen population inched up by 1% to 3.47 million citizens, whilst the permanent resident (PR) population remained relatively stable at around 520,000. “The citizen population continues to age, with 15.2% aged 65 and above compared with 14.4% last year,” said the Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group.

The group also cited citizen births and immigration. There were 32,356 citizen births in 2017, fewer than the 33,167 citizen births in 2016.

This was higher than the average of the past decade of about 32,200 citizen births. Meanwhile, the resident total fertility rate fell from 1.20 in 2016 to 1.16 in 2017.

Singapore’s non-resident population remained relatively stable at 1.64 million as there was a slight decline in foreign employment over the past year. “This was mainly attributed to a decrease in the number of Work Permit Holders in the Construction and Marine Shipyard sectors,” the group said.

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

Large cohorts of ‘baby boomers’ have begun entering the post-65 age range, the Strategy Group said. “Between 2017 and 2018, the proportion of citizens aged 65 years and above increased from 14.4% to 15.2%. The median age of the citizen population rose from 41.3 years to 41.7 years in the same period.”

Since the tightening of the immigration framework in late 2009, the group 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 majority of our PRs are in the prime working ages of 25-49 years,” it added.

In 2017, 22,076 Singapore Citizens (SCs) and 31,849 PRs were granted. The number of SCs granted includes citizenships granted to children born overseas to Singaporean parents. Last year, such children made up about 1,600 or 7% of the new SCs granted.