S’pore population to hit 6 million by 2020: paper
Singapore’s total population is projected to hit six million by 2020 from the current 5.3 million.
By 2030, the number of people living in the city-state could be between 6.5 million and 6.9 million, according to a government white paper released Tuesday.
The National Population and Talent Division’s (NPTD) report sets out Singapore’s population policies to address future demographic challenges amid increasing complaints from Singaporeans over the large presence of foreigners in the country.
Currently, two out of around five people in Singapore are foreigners.
According to the paper, Singapore’s resident population comprising of citizens and permanent residents will reach somewhere between 4 million to 4.1 million by 2020. Of that number, Singaporeans are seen to make up 3.5 million to 3.6 million.
The projections depend on fertility trends, life expectancy, as well as social and economic needs, NPTD said in the paper.
Without immigration, the citizen population will start to shrink from 2025 onwards, it added, noting that to stop the population from shrinking, Singapore will need 15,000 and 25,000 new citizens each year, based on the current total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.2.
NPTD pointed out that the number of PRs granted have also been significantly reduced from 79,000 in 2008 to 30,000 in the last three years. The current rate will keep the total PR population stable at 500,000 to 600,000, it said.
To read the white paper, click here.
