SINGAPORE — The total population in Singapore is finally back above the level in 2019 before the pandemic led to a temporary exodus of people including permanent residents (PRs).

The country's total population, which includes citizens, PRs and all non-residents, grew 5 per cent to 5.92 million as of June 2023 from 5.64 million a year earlier.

The National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) said in response to queries to TODAY that this is the highest recorded figure in Singapore’s history.

"However, taking into account the decline in total population in 2020 and 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the average total population growth rate over the past five years was comparable to the preceding five-year period (of 2013 to 2018)."

In June 2019, before Covid-19 caused major disruptions to economies and population movements across the globe, Singapore's total population stood at 5.7 million.

The latest statistics were a part of the Government’s annual Population in Brief report released on Friday (Sept 29). 

When it came to citizens, there had been an increase of 1.6 per cent to 3.61 million Singaporeans in June this year from 3.55 million a year earlier.

Even though the number of citizen births fell, attributed to a reluctance of some Chinese to have babies in the lunar Year of the Tiger, the country welcomed 23,082 new citizens. 

NPTD said that the citizen population figure excludes citizens who have been living abroad continuously for 12 months or more.

"With the easing of travel restrictions related to Covid-19, more citizens living overseas returned to Singapore, and this was the largest contributing factor to the increase in the citizen population."

The latest report stated as well that the return of citizens and PRs living overseas was the largest contributing factor to the increases in citizen and PR populations.

PR populations increased to 540,000, up 3.7 per cent from 520,000 last year. 

The non-resident population, which includes the foreign workforce across all pass-holder types, their dependants and international students increased by 13.1 per cent in the same period, standing at 1.77 million as of June this year. 

More work passes were granted to non-residents across all pass types as the Ministry of Manpower reported an increase in foreign employment growth from 98,000 to 162,000. 

The rise in the number of work permit holders was especially large in the industries of construction, marine shipyard and process sectors, as contractors hired more workers to resume projects put on hold by Covid-19. 

The following is a breakdown of the data. 

OVERALL POPULATION 

• Singapore’s total population stood at 5.92 million as of June 2023
• There were 3.61 million Singapore citizens, an increase of 1.6 per cent from 3.55 million in June 2022 
• There were 540,000 PRs, a 3.7 per cent increase from June 2022
• The non-resident population, which includes the foreign workforce across all pass types, their dependants and international students, totalled 1.77 million. This marked an increase of 13.1 per cent from June 2022

IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP 

• In 2022, 23,082 individuals were granted citizenship and 34,493 individuals were granted permanent residency
• This was an increase from 21,537 citizenship applications and 33,435 PR applications granted in 2021
• The number of applications for citizenships and permanent residency was slightly higher than the 22,714 citizenship applications and 32,915 PR applications granted in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic
• Applicants unable to complete in-person processes for the grant of citizenship or permanent residency in 2020 and 2021 have since managed to complete the relevant processes in 2022, contributing to the increase in numbers 

AGEING POPULATION 

• The proportion of citizens aged 65 and above has grown from 11.7 per cent in 2013 to 19.1 per cent in 2023 
• The median age of citizen population has steadily increased to 43 years from 42.8 years between June 2022 and June 2023 
• Since 2013, the number of citizens aged 80 and above has jumped by about 70 per cent from 80,000 in 2013 to 136,000 in 2023

RECORD HIGH NUMBER OF MARRIAGES

• Citizen marriages hit a record high of 24,767 marriages in 2022
• This was the second consecutive year of increase in citizen marriages, up by 5.7 per cent from 23,433 marriages in 2021 
• However, the annual average number of citizen marriages in the last five years is still lower at 22,700 compared to that of the average 23,600 marriages for the preceding five years
• People continued to get married later, as the median age at first marriage for citizen grooms and brides was 30.5 years for men and 28.8 years for women in 2022, up from 30.1 and 27.7 years respectively in 2012

TOTAL FERTILITY RATE AT ALL-TIME LOW 

• There were 30,429 citizen births in 2022, fewer than the 31,713 citizen births in 2021
• The annual average number of citizen births from 2018 to 2022 was 31,800, remaining lower than the preceding five years’ average of 32,700
• The resident total fertility rate hit a historic low of 1.04, after steadily declining over the past few decades. The replacement rate needed to maintain the existing population level is regarded as 2.1
• Lower births last year have been attributed to the Year of the Tiger in the lunar calendar, which is generally associated with fewer births among the Chinese population as some see Tiger babies as rebellious
• The median age of citizen mothers giving birth to their first child was 31.3 years in 2022, marking an increase over the decade from 30.1 years in 2012 

WHY IT MATTERS

Sociologists interviewed by TODAY said that short of “radical changes” in government policy, the trend of falling a total fertility rate and couples being older at first marriages in Singapore is likely to continue.

Referring to the country heading on a path to becoming a “super-aged society” in the next 10 years or less, sociologist Paulin Straughan from the Singapore Management University (SMU) said that Singapore is likely to see the emergence of more “dual-income, no children” households and smaller family sizes. 

Therefore, there is an “urgent need” to transform the way the country manages the population due to its implications for eldercare, and it is crucial to “build and nurture self-help communities in our neighbourhoods”, she added. 

Professor Straughan also said that it is important to support the emerging group of citizens who will stay single throughout their life course, because the country “cannot afford to lose too many to immigration”. 

Associate Professor Alwyn Lim, a sociology lecturer also from SMU, suggested that the Government might consider providing “generous incentives” to improve the total fertility rate in Singapore.

These include measures such as national policies to improve work-life balance or encouraging more women to opt for egg-freezing to prolong a woman’s fertility artificially.

In terms of incentives, he cited the example of Hungary's policy of providing income tax exemptions to women who have four or more children, but said that it is likelier for Singapore to increase immigration to tackle falling population numbers. 

“As the core citizen population gets smaller, and Singaporeans just don't want to have kids, then the Government really has no choice. It has to increase immigration to the extent that eventually, it will replace the core population.”

Assoc Prof Lim added that it would be “challenging” for Singapore to achieve the replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1 children for each woman, and that it is therefore “inevitable” for the country to turn towards immigration.

“I think the immigration strategy is no longer just a stop-gap strategy. It sounds like it really has to be part of the long-term population policy that we have.”