SINGAPORE’S total population crossed the six-million threshold for the first time in June, boosted mainly by an increase in foreign workers as well as migrant domestic workers.
The population stood at a record 6.04 million, growing 2 per cent from June 2023, data from the annual Population in Brief (PIB) publication by the National Population and Talent Division under the Strategy Group of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) showed on Tuesday (Sep 24).
The citizen population inched up 0.7 per cent to 3.64 million in June 2024 compared with a year earlier, while the permanent resident (PR) population grew 1.2 per cent to 544,900 over the same period.
The non-resident population rose 5 per cent to 1.86 million, with the increase seen across most pass types, said the publication. Work permit holders contributed the most to the increase, followed by migrant domestic workers.
Overall, the annualised population growth rate over the last five years from 2019 to 2024 was at 1.1 per cent. This was slightly higher than 0.8 per cent clocked in the preceding five-year period from 2014 to 2019.
PMO reiterated in a statement that the population is likely to be “significantly below 6.9 million by 2030”, as Minister in the PMO Indranee Rajah had said during last year’s Committee of Supply debate.
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It added: “Based on the various scenarios we have, the planning parameter of 6.9 million remains relevant for the 2030s.”
Immigration
Last year, 23,472 individuals were granted citizenship, a 1.7 per cent increase over 2022. About 5.7 per cent of these new citizens were children born overseas to Singaporean parents.
There were 34,391 individuals who became PRs last year, just two fewer than the previous year.
The average number of new citizens and PRs per year over the last five years from 2019 to 2023 was slightly higher than that of the preceding five-year period. For new citizens, the number rose 3.7 per cent to 22,400; the figure grew 4.8 per cent to 32,600 for PRs.
PIB noted that the exact number of new citizenships and PR granted each year depends on several factors, such as the number and quality of applications received.
Ageing population
Singapore’s population continued to age, with the median age rising to 43.4 years in June 2024, up from 43 years in June last year. This is the fastest increase in six years.
Close to one in five citizens were aged 65 and above as at June this year, compared with 12.4 per cent a decade ago. PMO is expecting this proportion to grow to nearly one in four, or 24.1 per cent, by 2030.
The number of citizens aged 80 and above also increased by about 65 per cent over 10 years to 142,000 in June 2024.
Marriage and parenthood
The number of citizen marriages fell 1.7 per cent to 24,355 in 2023, from a record high of 24,767 the year before. The figure is comparable to the pre-pandemic average of 24,000 marriages from 2014 to 2018.
The average number of citizen marriages in the last five years was 22,800, 5 per cent lower than the preceding five years.
The proportion of inter-ethnic marriages inched up one percentage point to 18 per cent in 2023. The rate has largely remained stable over the last decade, fluctuating between 16 and 18 per cent.
Transnational marriages made up 36 per cent of citizen marriages last year, an increase from 33 per cent in the year before.
However, there was a higher proportion of singles across almost all age groups in 2023, compared with 2013.
With resident total fertility rate falling to a historic low of 0.97 in 2023, the number of citizen births also fell 5.1 per cent to 28,877 last year.
The median age of citizen mothers at first birth also rose to 31.4 years last year, from 30.2 years in 2013.