Singapore’s population continued to age rapidly as of June 2025, and more Singaporeans remained single. - PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore’s population grew by 1.2 per cent in the past year, with 6.11 million people calling the little red dot home as of June 2025.
The increase was mainly due to growth in the non-resident population, such as work permit holders in the construction sector and domestic helpers, said the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD), which released the Population in Brief 2025 report on Sept 29.
Meanwhile, the nation’s population continued to age rapidly, and more Singaporeans remained single.
There was a spot of good news on the baby front, though.
In 2024, there were 29,237 citizen births, which refers to babies with at least one Singaporean parent. This is a 1.2 per cent increase from 28,877 such babies born in 2023.
The Republic’s resident total fertility rate, which reached a historic low in 2023, remained unchanged at 0.97. The figure refers to the average number of babies each woman would have during her reproductive years.
As at June 2025, Singapore had 3.66 million citizens, a slight increase from 3.64 million citizens a year ago. The number of permanent residents (PR) remained unchanged at 0.54 million.
The rest of the 1.91 million in population were non-residents, with the foreign workforce making up about two-thirds of this group. The remaining one-third comprised mainly domestic helpers, dependants and students.
Among new citizens in 2024, almost two in three, or 64.3 per cent, came from South-east Asia. Close to one in three, or 32.8 per cent, was from other Asian countries, while fewer than 3 per cent hailed from elsewhere.
All new adult citizens came from the pool of PRs as individuals have to obtain PR status before they may apply for Singapore citizenship, said the report. The majority of PRs were between 25 and 59 years old.
Singapore’s annualised population growth rate over the past five years was 1.5 per cent, compared with 0.5 per cent in the preceding five years, from 2015 to 2020.
This was mainly due to an increase in the number of work permit holders in the construction sector to support key infrastructure projects, such as Changi Terminal 5 and the ramping up of housing supply, said NPTD.
The city-state’s non-resident population grew by 2.7 per cent year on year to 1.91 million in June. It added 34,000 foreign workers between June 2024 and June 2025, compared with 39,000 in the preceding year.
The 34,000 figure refers to the foreign workforce across all pass types, from work permit holders to employment pass holders, but it excludes domestic helpers.
The median age of citizens rose to 43.7 years in June, compared with 43.4 years in June 2024. Meanwhile, the proportion of citizens aged 65 and above rose from 19.9 per cent in 2024 to 20.7 per cent in 2025.
Singaporeans marrying later, having smaller families
Fewer Singaporeans tied the knot in 2024, said the 31-page report, which is published annually.
There were 22,955 citizen marriages in 2024, which is 5.7 per cent lower than the 24,355 such marriages in 2023. A citizen marriage is one involving at least one Singaporean.
Over a longer period, the average number of annual citizen marriages has also trended down. Between 2020 and 2024, there were about 23,000 such marriages each year, compared with 23,600 such unions in the preceding five years.
Citizens are also marrying later – the median age at first marriage for men was 30.8 years in 2024, compared with 30.1 a decade prior. For women, it rose to 29.1 years, compared with 27.9 in 2014.
The report noted that the number of singles has been rising in recent years – between 2019 and 2024, the proportion of singles rose across almost all age groups for both men and women.
The trend was particularly pronounced among younger adults, with those in the 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 age groups registering higher proportions of singles compared with other age groups.
Alongside later marriages, Singaporean families are also getting smaller.
The share of Singaporean women aged between 40 and 49 with just one child rose from 15.9 per cent in 2004 to 22.8 per cent in 2024. The data refers to ever-married women, or those who are currently married, divorced or widowed.
The proportion of such women in this age group with three or more children fell significantly from 34.5 per cent to 20.6 per cent in that timeframe.
And the number of such women with no children doubled from 6.7 per cent in 2004 to 14.4 per cent in 2024.
To encourage Singaporeans to have more children, the Large Families Scheme was announced during the Budget debate in February to provide additional financial support of up to $16,000 for each third and subsequent citizen child.
For example, families with three or more Singaporean children aged one to six years old will receive $1,000 in credits to defray household expenses for each child from Sept 10, and they will continue to receive $1,000 every year till the child turns six.
Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Tan Poh Lin said the ongoing shift towards marrying later - or not at all - is driven by the desire and social expectations to become financially self-sufficient, and this meant many Singaporeans are prioritising their education and career over dating and marriage.
Among those who have chosen to make Singapore their home is Ms Jennyfrida Capul, a business analyst from the Philippines who came to Singapore in 2004 to work, and decided to settle down here.
The 49-year-old and her four children became Singaporeans recently. She had applied for citizenship over 10 times before succeeding in 2024.
Ms Capul, who is a single mother, said her decision to stay was shaped by what she saw as Singapore’s efficiency, cleanliness, and safety. Her children, aged 10 to 20, are active community volunteers.
Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Nanyang Technological University Shannon Ang said the low fertility rate has “huge implications” for Singapore, which will need migrant workers to care for its ageing population and complement its workforce.
“If we cannot reverse these trends, we will have to rely much more on immigration,” he said.
“But more immigration also means a more diverse population, and that could create tension. If it happens too much, too fast, it risks fuelling anti-immigration sentiment, as we see in other countries.” - The Straits Times/ANN
