Singapore's total population grows to 5.7 million mainly due to more foreign workers

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s total population grew to 5.7 million people in June, mainly due to an increase in foreign worker numbers, the Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group said in its Population in Brief report on Wednesday (Sept 25).

The resident total fertility rate fell from 1.16 in 2017 to 1.14 in 2018. There were more citizen babies born last year than the year before, but resident births (citizens and permanent residents) fell. 

The citizen population also continues to age, with 16 per cent of Singaporeans aged 65 and above in June, compared with 15.2 per cent last year.

POPULATION BOOSTED BY FOREIGNERS

Overall, Singapore’s total population grew 1.2 per cent from June last year to 5.7 million as of June this year. The rise came from:

• A 0.8 per cent increase in the citizen population to 3.5 million

• A 2 per cent increase in the non-resident population to 1.68 million. These include dependents, international students, expatriates and foreign workers.

The population, as of June this year, comprises:

• 3.5 million Singapore residents

• 0.53 million permanent residents

• 1.68 million non-residents

The rise in the non-resident population was mainly driven by a sustained growth in the services industry and a turnaround in the construction sector, the report said. 

Going by the type of passes issued, the increase in foreign employment was mainly due to higher numbers of work-permit holders. 

FEWER BABIES

As the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority noted in July, the number of babies born in Singapore last year was the lowest in eight years.

“This is due partly to a larger cohort of young Singaporeans (aged 20-30 in 2018) — many of whom are children of baby boomers — who are entering the peak childbearing ages, but have not yet had children,” the report said.

The number of citizen births climbed to 32,413 last year, from 32,356 in 2017, but resident births (citizens and permanent residents) fell from 35,444 in 2017 to 35,040 in 2018.

As a result, the total fertility rate fell to 1.14 last year from 1.16 in 2017.

The average number of citizen births in the last five years was 33,000, which is higher than the average of 31,400 in the previous five years.

A CLOSER LOOK AT MOTHERS, 2008 TO 2018

The report also noted that the median age of mothers at first birth in 2018 was 30.4 years, up from 29.4 in 2008.

In 2018, Singaporean women who had ever been married and who were aged between 45 and 49 had an average of 1.91 children, down from 2.14 children in 2008.

Among these ever-married female citizens between 45 and 49, the proportion who had:

• No children – rose from 7.1 per cent in 2008 to 10.7 per cent in 2018

• One child – rose from 16.3 per cent to 20.5 per cent over the same period

• Two children – stayed relatively stable, at 42.7 per cent in 2008 and 43.3 per cent last year

• Three or more children – fell from 33.9 per cent in 2008 to 25.4 per cent in 2018

AGEING 'BABY BOOMERS'

Along with increasing life expectancy and low fertility rates, the proportion of Singaporeans aged 65 and above is rising at a faster pace compared to the last decade, the report noted. 

Large cohorts of “baby boomers” — those born from 1950 to 1964 — have begun entering the post-65 age range.

As a result:

• The number of Singaporeans aged 65 and above surged from 9.9 per cent in 2009 to 16 per cent in 2019. 

• An increase to about 23.7 per cent is projected in 2030.

• In the last year, the median age of Singaporeans rose from 41.7 years to 42 years.

• Citizens aged 20 to 64 years now make up 63.1 per cent of the population, down from 64.4 per cent a decade ago. This is projected to decrease further to about 56.1 per cent in 2030.

• The number of Singaporeans aged 80 and above has almost doubled over the last decade, from 2 per cent in 2009 to 3.2 per cent in 2019.

DECLINE IN MARRIAGES

Fewer Singaporeans tied the knot last year. There were 23,632 marriages among citizens in 2018, compared with 24,417 in 2017.

However, on average, there were about 24,000 marriages in each of the last five years, higher than the average of 21,900 in each of the previous five years.

The median age at first marriage for Singaporeans in 2018 was 29.9 years for grooms and 28.2 years for brides, similar to the data seen in the previous five years. 

One in three citizen marriages last year involved non-citizens, and one in five Singaporeans married persons of different races.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that there were fewer citizen babies born last year than the year before. This is incorrect. There were more citizen babies born but fewer resident births (citizens and permanent residents) in 2018 compared with 2017. We are sorry for the error.