Singapore records slowest decade of population growth since independence

FILE PHOTO: Commuters wearing protective face masks leave a train station during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's population rose by about 1.1% each year over the past decade, the slowest rate since independence in 1965, the latest census showed on Wednesday, with locals having fewer children and immigration policies tightening.

Just last year, the global financial hub saw its population fall 0.3% to 5.69 million, the first drop since 2003, due to fewer foreign arrivals on the back of travel curbs and job losses brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.