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SINGAPORE: Data released by the National Population and Talent Division on Thursday (Sept. 24) showed Singapore’s population declining by 0.3 percent in the past year.
In June 2020, Singapore’s population was 5.69 million, compared with 5.7 million in the same month last year, the division’s annual population report showed.
The citizen population grew 0.6 percent to 3.52 million, and permanent residents were stable at 0.52 million.
The decline in the general population was “largely” due to the decline in the number of foreigners.
READ: Singapore’s population drops to 5.69 million, with fewer foreigners
Here are five things to know about Singapore’s population statistics over the past year:
MORE SINGAPOREAN FROM ABROAD RETURNED HOME
In 2020 there were 203,500 Singaporeans abroad, those who have a registered address abroad or who are absent for a cumulative period of more than six months in the last year.
This is down from 217,200 the previous year, with decreases seen in all age groups.
Many of them returned to Singapore amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a further decline seen for people between the ages of 20 and 24.
According to the data, the total number of Singaporeans abroad per 100 citizens gradually increased from 5.7 in 2010 to 6.2 in 2019, and then fell again to 5.8 in 2020.
The highest increase was observed in those 0 to 19 and 20 to 24 years old, with an increase in the rate from 4.3 to 5.3 and from 6.5 to 8.5 respectively.
It was also observed that the growth in the number of Singaporeans abroad was slower over the past five years, compared to the previous five-year period.
NUMBER OF NON-RESIDENTS FELL
The reduction in foreign employment in services between June 2019 and June 2020 contributed to a 2.1% decline in Singapore’s non-resident population, which is now 1.64 million.
Work permit holders experienced the largest decline.
“These trends were largely due to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by weak demand and travel restrictions,” the report said.
The decline in the non-resident population also contributed to the decline in Singapore’s overall population.
READ: Businesses in Singapore see lasting benefits from hiring locals, but say a fully local workforce is not possible
THE AGED POPULATION CONTINUES TO GROW
The proportion of Singaporeans aged 65 and over is increasing and at a faster rate compared to 10 years earlier, as life expectancy continues to increase and fertility rates remain low.
More baby boomers, those born between 1950 and 1964, are also entering the post-65 age range.
In 2020, the number of citizens aged 80 and over increased to about 120,000 from 112,000 in 2019.
In 2010, there were some 67,000 Singaporeans aged 80 and over.
The number of citizens in the 20-64 age bracket also fell to 62.2 percent in 2020, from 64.8 percent in 2010. It is projected to fall to 56.1 percent in 2030, according to The report.
The average age of the citizen population went from 42 years to 42.2 years between 2019 and 2020.
MORE SINGAPOREANS BORN LAST YEAR
There were 32,844 citizens born in 2019, slightly more than the 32,413 born in 2018.
During the last five years (2015-2019), around 32,900 citizens were born on average each year, higher than the average of 31,700 in the previous five years (2010-2014).
Singapore’s fertility rate remained below the replacement rate at 1.14 in 2019, unchanged from the previous year.
“This is partly due to a delay in marriages and later in motherhood,” the report said.
In 2019, the average age of new mothers was 30.6 years old, a slight increase from 30.4 in 2018.
LESS MARRIAGES
There were 22,165 citizen marriages in 2019, down from 23,632 in 2018.
READ: Fewer marriages, more divorces in Singapore last year
However, the annual average for the last five years (2015 to 2019) increased to 23,600 from 22,400 in the previous five years (2010 to 2014).
The median age of first marriage for Singaporean grooms in 2019 was 30.1 years, the same as in 2014, but the median age of first marriage for Singaporean brides in 2019 was 28.4 years compared to 27, 9 years of 2014.
Just over one in three marriages in 2019 involved transnational couples, while one in five was inter-ethnic.
