The Population in Brief 2021 report, released on September 28, shows that Singapore’s population decreased by 4.1% to 5.45 million between June 2020 and June 2021, primarily due to a reduction in the non-resident population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the first time since records began in 1970 that the citizen and resident populations have experienced a year-on-year decline.
According to data from the Department of Statistics, this is also the largest population decline since 1950 and only the third time the population has shrunk. The previous two instances were in 1986 and 2020.
As of June 2021, the Singapore citizen population fell slightly by 0.7% to 3.50 million, although this is on par with 2019 levels.
Singapore’s citizen population continues to age. In June this year, the proportion of the population aged 65 and above reached 17.6%, up from 16.8% a year ago. A decade ago, only 10.4% of the population was in this age group.
The report, released by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) under the Prime Minister’s Office, projects that the proportion of the population in this age group will increase to 23.8% by 2030.
Consequently, the median age of the citizen population was 42.5 years as of June this year, compared to 42.2 years in the same period last year. In June 2011, this figure was 39.1 years.
Meanwhile, the number of permanent residents (PRs) decreased by 6.2% to 490,000 between June 2020 and June 2021.
This was mainly because an increasing number of citizens and PRs who remained overseas continuously for 12 months or more due to COVID-19 travel restrictions were not counted as part of the local resident population.”
The NPTD stated that the number of individuals granted citizenship and permanent residency also decreased last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, 21,085 individuals were granted citizenship. Singapore grants between 15,000 and 25,000 new citizenships annually on average. About 6% of these are children born overseas to Singaporean parents.
Although Singapore has granted about 30,000 new permanent residencies annually since the immigration framework was tightened in 2009, the number of PRs approved last year was 27,470.
The NPTD reported that the non-resident population decreased by 10.7% to 1.47 million, mainly due to a reduction in foreign employment over a period marked by border restrictions and uncertain economic conditions.
Non-residents include foreign employees of all pass types, their dependents, and international students.
The report stated that while all work pass categories saw a decline, the largest drop was among work permit holders in the construction, marine shipyard, and process sectors.
Meanwhile, the number of citizen births in 2020 decreased by 3.1%, and the total fertility rate fell to a historic low of 1.1.
There were 31,816 citizen births in 2020, down from 32,844 the previous year and below the average of 32,500 from 2016 to 2020.
The NPTD noted that besides Singapore, birth rates also declined last year in other developed countries like the United States, Japan, and Italy, indicating that uncertainty and health concerns caused by the pandemic have impacted people’s plans for having children.
One way Singapore is trying to mitigate this issue is through the “Baby Support Grant,” a one-off S$3,000 cash grant for parents of children born between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2022.
Compared to 2019, the number of citizen marriages in 2020 also decreased by 12.3% to 19,430. The NPTD suggested this could be due to restrictions on large gatherings.
Among couples who married in 2020, 30% were transnational couples, down from 37% in 2019. The NPTD attributed this to COVID-19-related border restrictions.
In 2020, the proportion of inter-ethnic marriages saw a slight decline to 17%, but this is comparable to the 17% to 19% range seen over the past decade.
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