Demographics of Singapore
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Singapore's demographics describe a population of 4.48 million, as estimated by the last census in 2005 and is the second most densely populated country in the world. Singapore is a multiracial country with a majority population of Chinese, with substantial Malay and Indian minorities. Mahayana Buddhism is the first religion in Singapore though not representing a majority, with significant numbers following Islam, Christianity or no religion at all. The annual population growth rate for the year 2000 was 2.8%. The country has four official languages, and English is widely used, and Malay is the national language.
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[edit] Ethnic groups
Singapore became numerically dominated by immigrant ethnic groups soon after Sir Stamford Raffles established a trading post on the island in 1819. It is estimated that in January 1819, Singapore had about 880 Malays and aboriginal tribes and about 20 to 30 Chinese. In 1821, it was estimated that there were nearly 3,000 Malays and more than 1,000 Chinese.
While reporting overall population figures for Singapore (4.48 million in 2006), as a matter of policy, the Singapore Department of Statistics only provides more detailed demographic breakdown analysis for the roughly 80% of the population who are Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents (collectively termed 'residents'). Of this group of about 3.6 million people, Chinese form 75.2%, Malays form 13.6%, Indians form 8.8%, while Eurasians and other groups form 2.4%.
Official figures show that the number of foreigners on short-term permits (termed 'non-residents') has grown from 30,900 in 1970 to 797,900 in 2005, which translate roughly to a 24-fold increase in 35 years, or from 1% of the population in 1970 to 18.3% in 2005. Despite this huge increase, no further breakdown is given by Singstat.
Some studies have attemped to cast light on the demographic profile of Singapore's non-resident population. According to 'The Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora' (published in 2006), "independant surveys approximate the number of South Asians on work permits to be between 30-35 per cent of the total 'Indian' population in Singapore, or approximately 90,000-100,000." Based on this, we can estimate that, as of June 2006, the Indian population formed 12.5% of the non-resident population, and therefore numbered between 415,000 and 430,000, or about 9.5% of the total population of about 4.5 million. It is likely the the population of 'others' is similarly greater than suggested by the figures for the 'resident' population. Conversely, it is likely that the Chinese form significantly less than 75% of the total population of 4.5 million.
Following figures show that the ethnic composition of the resident population has been stable over the last 30 years, while non-resident population has boomed.
| Ethnic | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 77.0 | 78.3 | 77.7 | 76.8 | 75.2 |
| Malays | 14.8 | 14.4 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.6 |
| Indians | 7.0 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 7.9 | 8.8 |
| Others | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.4 |
Note: No breakdown by ethnicity is released for the non-resident population.
| 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident (=citizens+PR status) | 97.1% | 94.5% | 89.8% | 81.3% | 80.5% |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [1]
[edit] Languages
There are four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.
Malay is the national language of the country, although English is mainly used. English serves as the link between the different ethnic groups and is the language of the educational system and the administration. The colloquial English used in everyday lives is often referred to as Singlish.
The government of Singapore has been promoting the use of Mandarin, the official form of Chinese in Singapore as well as mainland China and Taiwan, with its Speak Mandarin Campaign among the Chinese population. The use of other Chinese dialects, like Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese and Hakka, has been declining over the last two decades, although they are still being used especially by the older generations of the Chinese population.
About 60% of Singapore's Indian population speaks Tamil as their native language. Other Indian languages are Malayalam and Hindi.
Around 5000 Peranakans, the early Chinese population of the region, still use the Hokkien-influenced Malay dialect called Baba Malay.
| Language most frequently spoken at home (%) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | 1990 | 2000 |
| English | 18.8 | 23.0 |
| Mandarin | 23.7 | 35.0 |
| (non-Mandarin) Chinese Dialects | 39.6 | 23.8 |
| Malay | 14.3 | 14.1 |
| Tamil | 2.9 | 3.2 |
[edit] Religion
Singapore generally allows religious freedom, although some religious sects are restricted or banned, such as Jehovah's Witness, due to its opposition of National Service. The majority of Malays are Muslim. A majority of Chinese generally practise a mix of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Christianity is growing among the Chinese, with many converting. Indians are mostly Hindus though many others are Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians.
| Resident population aged 15 years and over by religion | ||
|---|---|---|
| Religion | Population | Percentage |
| Total | 2,494,630 | 100.0% |
| Buddhism | 1,060,662 | 42.5% |
| Islam | 371,660 | 14.9% |
| No religion | 370,094 | 14.8% |
| Christianity | 364,087 | 14.6% |
| Taoism/Chinese traditional beliefs | 212,344 | 8.5% |
| Hinduism | 99,904 | 4.0% |
| Sikhism | 9,733 | 0.39% |
| Other religions | 6,146 | 0.25% |
Source: Census 2000. [2]
[edit] Population
4,483,900 (July 2006 est.)
| Age | percentage | male | female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-14 years | 15.6% | 362,329 | 337,964 |
| 15-64 years | 76.1% | 1,666,709 | 1,750,736 |
| 65 years and over | 8.3% | 165,823 | 208,589 |
(2006 est.)
| Residential Status | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 4,017,733 | 100.0% |
| Citizens | 2,973,091 | 74.0% |
| Permanent Residents | 290,118 | 7.2% |
| Non-resident Population | 754,524 | 18.8% |
(2000 est.)
| Population growth rate | 3.3% (2006) |
| Birth rate | 9.34 births/1,000 population |
| Death rate | 4.28 deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | 9.12 migrants/1,000 population |
(2006 est.)
| Age | males/female |
|---|---|
| at birth | 1.08 |
| under 15 years | 1.07 |
| 15-64 years | 0.95 |
| 65 years and over | 0.80 |
| total population | 0.96 |
(2006 est.)
[edit] Infant mortality rate
2.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
[edit] Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.71 years
male: 79.13 years
female: 84.49 years (2006 est.)
[edit] Fertility rate
Singapore's fertility rate is 1.06 children born per woman (in 2006), which is one of the lowest in the world. Chinese had a ferlility of 1.07 in 2004(1.65 in 1990), while Malays had a TFR of 2.10 (2.69 in 1990). Both figures declined further in 2006. TFR for Indians was 1.30 in 2004 and 1.89 in 1990. 1 2
[edit] Marriages and divorces
| 2003 | |
|---|---|
| Number of marriages (excluding previously married) | 21,962 |
| Number of resident marriage (excluding previously married) | 21,282 |
| Number of divorces and annulments | 6,561 |
| Mean age of first marriage (years) | |
| …Grooms | 30.2 |
| …Brides | 27.2 |
| General marriage rate | |
| …Males (per 1,000 unmarried resident males) | 44.0 |
| …Females (per 1,000 unmarried resident females) | 44.3 |
| General divorce rate | |
| …Males (per 1,000 unmarried resident males) | 7.8 |
| …Females (per 1,000 unmarried resident females) | 8.0 |
| Crude marriage rate (per 1,000 resident population) | 6.39 |
| Crude rate of marital dissolution (per 1,000 resident population) | 1.91 |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [3]
The divorce rate has doubled over the last decade, and as of 2003, for every ten marriages registered in Singapore, almost three ended in divorce. The Women's Charter protects the women's financial interests during a divorce, often requiring the husband to contribute to his divorced wife and their children.
[edit] Literacy
Aged 15 years & above
| Year | 2000 | 1990 |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 92.5% | 89.1% |
| Male | 96.6% | 95.1% |
| Female | 88.6% | 83.0% |
Source: Census 2000.
[edit] Education
| Highest qualification attained | Population | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 2,277,401 | 100.0% |
| No qualification | 445,444 | 19.6% |
| Primary | 276,542 | 12.1% |
| Lower secondary | 248,598 | 10.9% |
| Secondary | 560,570 | 24.6% |
| Upper secondary | 226,275 | 9.9% |
| Polytechnic | 140,970 | 6.2% |
| Other Diploma | 112,371 | 4.9% |
| University | 266,631 | 11.7% |
Source: Census 2000. [4] Note: Based on resident non-students aged 15 years and over by highest qualification attained.
[edit] Employment
In 2005, the unemployment rate is 2.5%, the lowest in the last four years, with a labour force of 2.3 million people.
| Year | Labour Force | Unemployment rate |
Labour force participation rate | CPF contributors in labour force |
Union members among employed |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Males | Females | |||||
| Thousand | Percent | ||||||
| 1994 | 1,693.1 | 1.9 | 64.9 | 79.6 | 50.9 | 67.3 | 14.1 |
| 1999 | 1,976.0 | 3.6 | 64.7 | 77.8 | 52.7 | 62.0 | 15.4 |
| 2000 | 2,192.2 | 3.5 | 68.6 | 81.1 | 55.5 | 58.1 | 15.0 |
| 2001 | 2,119.7 | 2.7 | 65.4 | 77.8 | 54.3 | 59.9 | 16.5 |
| 2002 | 2,128.5 | 4.2 | 64.7 | 77.2 | 53.4 | 60.3 | 19.3 |
| 2003 | 2,150.1 | 4.4 | 64.2 | 75.8 | 53.9 | 59.7 | 20.5 |
| 2004 | 2,183.3 | 4.3 | 64.2 | 75.6 | 54.2 | 60.7 | 21.5 |
| 2005 | 2,317.4 | 2.5 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Unemployment rates were seasonally adjusted. Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [5]
Note: Based on persons aged 15 years and over.
[edit] Household income
[edit] Average household income
The average household income is SGD$4,943 in 2000, which is an increase from SGD$3,080 in 1990 at an average annual rate of 4.9%. The average household income experienced a drop of 2.7% in 1999 due to economic slowdown.
| Year | Average income (SGD$) | Median income (SGD$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3,076 | 2,296 |
| 1995 | 4,107 | 3,135 |
| 1997 | 4,745 | 3,617 |
| 1998 | 4,822 | 3,692 |
| 1999 | 4,691 | 3,500 |
| 2000 | 4,943 | 3,607 |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [6]
Measured in 1990 dollars, the average household income rose from SGD$3,080 in 1990 to SGD$4,170 in 2000 at an average annual rate of 2.8%. [7]
| Ethnic group | Average household income (SGD$) |
Median household income (SGD$) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2000 | 1990 | 2000 | |
| Total | 3,076 | 4,943 | 2,296 | 3,607 |
| Chinese | 3,213 | 5,219 | 2,400 | 3,848 |
| Malays | 2,246 | 3,148 | 1,880 | 2,708 |
| Indians | 2,859 | 4,556 | 2,174 | 3,387 |
| Others | 3,885 | 7,250 | 2,782 | 4,775 |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [8]
[edit] Household income distribution
| Monthly household income (SGD$) |
Number ('000) | Percent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2000 | 1990 | 2000 | |
| Total | 661.7 | 923.3 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Below 1,000 | 105.7 | 116.3 | 16.0 | 12.6 |
| 1,000-1,999 | 179.3 | 128.9 | 27.1 | 14.0 |
| 2,000-2,999 | 133.3 | 136.1 | 20.1 | 14.7 |
| 3,000-3,999 | 86.1 | 121.3 | 13.0 | 13.1 |
| 4,000-4,999 | 54.0 | 95.2 | 8.2 | 10.3 |
| 5,000-5,999 | 33.5 | 75.4 | 5.1 | 8.2 |
| 6,000-6,999 | 21.7 | 57.5 | 3.3 | 6.2 |
| 7,000-7,999 | 13.8 | 42.2 | 2.1 | 4.6 |
| 8,000-8,999 | 9.5 | 32.4 | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| 9,000-9,999 | 6.5 | 23.4 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| 10,000 & over | 18.3 | 94.6 | 2.8 | 10.3 |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [9]
[edit] Growth in household income by decile
With the recovery from the 1998 economic slowdown, household income growth had resumed for the majority of households in 2000. However, for the lowest two deciles, the average household income in 2000 had declined compared with 1999. This was mainly due to the increase in the proportion of households with no income earner from 75% in 1999 to 87% in 2000 for the lowest 10%. Households with no income earner include those with retired elderly persons as well as unemployed members. [10]
| Average household income from work by decile among all resident households |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decile | Average household income (SGD$) | Annual Change (%) | ||||||
| 1990 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
| Total | 3,076 | 4,745 | 4,822 | 4,691 | 4,943 | 1.6 | -2.7 | 5.4 |
| Lowest 10% | 370 | 327 | 258 | 133 | 61 | -21.1 | -48.4 | -54.1 |
| Lowest 10%, excluding households with no income earner |
620 | 716 | 681 | 531 | 459 | -4.9 | -22.0 | -13.6 |
| Next 10% | 934 | 1,352 | 1,332 | 1,172 | 1,145 | -1.5 | -12.0 | -2.3 |
| Next 10% | 1,321 | 2,002 | 2,005 | 1,853 | 1,862 | 0.1 | -7.6 | 0.5 |
| Next 10% | 1,686 | 2,613 | 2,647 | 2,470 | 2,535 | 1.3 | -6.7 | 2.6 |
| Next 10% | 2,076 | 3,254 | 3,305 | 3,137 | 3,237 | 1.6 | -5.1 | 3.2 |
| Next 10% | 2,541 | 4,019 | 4,097 | 3,900 | 4,036 | 1.9 | -4.8 | 3.5 |
| Next 10% | 3,116 | 4,938 | 5,034 | 4,828 | 5,017 | 1.9 | -4.1 | 3.9 |
| Next 10% | 3,897 | 6,093 | 6,271 | 6,023 | 6,316 | 2.9 | -4.0 | 4.9 |
| Next 10% | 5,152 | 7,965 | 8,221 | 7,937 | 8,419 | 3.2 | -3.5 | 6.1 |
| Top 10% | 9,671 | 14,890 | 15,053 | 15,451 | 16,804 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 8.8 |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [11]
[edit] Household income disparity
The disparity in household income had widened in 2000, reflecting the faster income growth for the higher-income households. The Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, rose from 0.446 in 1998 to 0.481 in 2000. Other measures of income inequality also indicated similar trend of increasing disparity in household income. [12]
| Measure | 1990 | 1995 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gini coefficient | 0.436 | 0.443 | 0.444 | 0.446 | 0.467 | 0.481 | |
| —Excluding households with no income earner | 0.410 | 0.409 | 0.412 | 0.410 | 0.424 | 0.432 | |
| Ratio of Average Income | |||||||
| —Top 20% to Lowest 20% | 11.4 | 13.8 | 13.6 | 14.6 | 17.9 | 20.9 | |
| —9th decile to 2nd decile | 5.5 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 7.4 | |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [13]
In the United Nations Development Programme Report 2004, (page 50-53), Singapore's Gini coefficient based on income is 0.425 in 1998, which is ranked 78 among 127 countries in income equality (see list of countries by income equality).
[edit] References
- ^ "Latest Data (1 Feb 2006) - Singapore Department of Statistics. URL accessed on 2 February 2006.
- ^ "Singapore's employment hits all-time high of 2.3 m in 2005", Channel NewsAsia, 1 February 2006. By May Wong.
[edit] See also
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