Singapore People - 2023
SOURCE: 2023 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
5,975,383 (2023 est.)
Nationality
noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore
Ethnic groups
Chinese 74.2%, Malay 13.7%, Indian 8.9%, other 3.2% (2021 est.)
note: data represent population by self-identification; the population is divided into four categories: Chinese, Malay (includes indigenous Malays and Indonesians), Indian (includes Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or Sri Lankan), and other ethnic groups (includes Eurasians, Caucasians, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese)
Languages
English (official) 48.3%, Mandarin (official) 29.9%, other Chinese dialects (includes Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka) 8.7%, Malay (official) 9.2%, Tamil (official) 2.5%, other 1.4%; note - data represent language most frequently spoken at home (2020 est.)
major-language sample(s):
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)
世界概況 – 不可缺少的基本消息來源 (Mandarin)
Religions
Buddhist 31.1%, Christian 18.9%, Muslim 15.6%, Taoist 8.8%, Hindu 5%, other 0.6%, none 20% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
Singapore has one of the lowest total fertility rates (TFR) in the world – an average of 1.15 children born per woman – and a rapidly aging population. Women’s expanded educations, widened aspirations, and a desire to establish careers has contributed to delayed marriage and smaller families. Most married couples have only one or two children in order to invest more in each child, including the high costs of education. In addition, more and more Singaporeans, particularly women, are staying single. Factors contributing to this trend are a focus on careers, long working hours, the high cost of living, and long waits for public housing. With fertility at such a low rate and rising life expectancy, the proportion of the population aged 65 or over is growing and the youth population is shrinking. Singapore is projected to experience one of the largest percentage point increases in the elderly share of the population at 21% between 2019 and 2050, according to the UN. The working-age population (aged 15-64) will gradually decrease, leaving fewer workers to economically support the elderly population.
Migration has played a key role in Singapore’s development. As Singapore’s economy expanded during the 19th century, more and more Chinese, Indian, and Malay labor immigrants arrived. Most of Singapore’s pre-World War II population growth was a result of immigration. During World War II, immigration came to a halt when the Japanese occupied the island but revived in the postwar years. Policy was restrictive during the 1950s and 1960s, aiming to protect jobs for residents by reducing the intake of low-skilled foreign workers and focusing instead on attracting professionals from abroad with specialist skills. Consequently, the nonresident share of Singapore’s population plummeted to less than 3%.
As the country industrialized, however, it loosened restrictions on the immigration of manual workers. From the 1980s through the 2000s, the foreign population continued to grow as a result of policies aimed at attracting foreign workers of all skill levels. More recently, the government has instituted immigration policies that target highly skilled workers. Skilled workers are encouraged to stay and are given the opportunity to become permanent residents or citizens. The country, however, imposes restrictions on unskilled and low-skilled workers to ensure they do not establish roots, including prohibiting them from bringing their families and requiring employers to pay a monthly foreign worker levy and security bond. The country has also become increasingly attractive to international students. The growth of the foreign-born population has continued to be rapid; as of 2015, the foreign-born composed 46% of the total population. At the same time, growing numbers of Singaporeans are emigrating for education and work experience in highly skilled sectors such finance, information technology, and medicine. Increasingly, the moves abroad are permanent.
Age structure
0-14 years: 14.82% (male 458,019/female 427,364)
15-64 years: 71.49% (male 2,148,471/female 2,123,102)
65 years and over: 13.7% (2023 est.) (male 379,373/female 439,054)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 35.4
youth dependency ratio: 16.2
elderly dependency ratio: 19.1
potential support ratio: 5.2 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 35.6 years
male: 35.4 years
female: 35.7 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
0.9% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
8.94 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
4.15 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
4.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population distribution
most of the urbanization is along the southern coast, with relatively dense population clusters found in the central areas
Urbanization
urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
6.081 million SINGAPORE (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
30.5 years (2015 est.)
note: data represents median age
Maternal mortality ratio
7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 1.54 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 1.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 1.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 86.51 years
male: 83.82 years
female: 89.34 years (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.17 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.57 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
N/A
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: N/A
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: N/A
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
6.1% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
2.46 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
Hospital bed density
2.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: N/A
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: N/A
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
6.1% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 16.5% (2020 est.)
male: 28% (2020 est.)
female: 5% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
N/A
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
54.3% (2023 est.)
Education expenditures
2.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.5%
male: 98.9%
female: 96.1% (2019)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 17 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2020)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 9.1%
male: 7%
female: 11.8% (2021 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Singapore on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Singapore 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Singapore 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 06 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.