Singapore
Republic of Singapore
parliamentary republicIndependence 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
Singapore as the 2024 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 152 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Introduction
1 fieldBackground
A Malay trading port known as Temasek existed on the island of Singapore by the 14th century. The settlement changed hands several times in the ensuing centuries and was eventually burned in the 17th century, falling into obscurity. In 1819, the British founded modern Singapore as a trading colony on the same site and granted it full internal self-government for all matters except defense and foreign affairs in 1959.
Singapore joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but was ousted two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links and per capita GDP among the highest globally. The People’s Action Party has won every general election in Singapore since the end of the British colonial era, aided by its success in delivering consistent economic growth, as well as the city-state's fragmented opposition and electoral procedures that strongly favor the ruling party.
Geography
Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
17 fieldsLand useshare of 719 sq km
Climate
- tropical;
- hot, humid, rainy;
- two distinct monsoon seasons - northeastern monsoon (December to March) and southwestern monsoon (June to September);
- inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms
Population distribution
most of the urbanization is along the southern coast, with relatively dense population clusters found in the central areas
Geography - note
- focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes;
- consists of about 60 islands, the largest of which by far is Pulau Ujong;
- land reclamation has removed many former islands and created a number of new ones
People and Society
38 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2024 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2024 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2021 est.)
Religions(2020 est.)
Languages
English (official) 48.3%, Mandarin (official) 29.9%, other Chinese dialects (includes Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka) 8.7%, Malay (official) 9.2%, Tamil (official) 2.5%, other 1.4% (2020 est.); major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English); 世界概況 – 不可缺少的基本消息來源 (Mandarin) note: data represent language most frequently spoken at home
Demographic profile
Singapore has one of the lowest total fertility rates (TFR) in the world – an average of 1.15 children born per woman – and a rapidly aging population. Women’s expanded educations, widened aspirations, and a desire to establish careers has contributed to delayed marriage and smaller families.
Most married couples have only one or two children in order to invest more in each child, including the high costs of education. In addition, more and more Singaporeans, particularly women, are staying single. Factors contributing to this trend are a focus on careers, long working hours, the high cost of living, and long waits for public housing.
With fertility at such a low rate and rising life expectancy, the proportion of the population aged 65 or over is growing and the youth population is shrinking. Singapore is projected to experience one of the largest percentage point increases in the elderly share of the population at 21% between 2019 and 2050, according to the UN. The working-age population (aged 15-64) will gradually decrease, leaving fewer workers to economically support the elderly population.
Migration has played a key role in Singapore’s development. As Singapore’s economy expanded during the 19 th century, more and more Chinese, Indian, and Malay labor immigrants arrived. Most of Singapore’s pre-World War II population growth was a result of immigration. During World War II, immigration came to a halt when the Japanese occupied the island but revived in the postwar years.
Policy was restrictive during the 1950s and 1960s, aiming to protect jobs for residents by reducing the intake of low-skilled foreign workers and focusing instead on attracting professionals from abroad with specialist skills. Consequently, the nonresident share of Singapore’s population plummeted to less than 3%.
As the country industrialized, however, it loosened restrictions on the immigration of manual workers. From the 1980s through the 2000s, the foreign population continued to grow as a result of policies aimed at attracting foreign workers of all skill levels. More recently, the government has instituted immigration policies that target highly skilled workers.
Skilled workers are encouraged to stay and are given the opportunity to become permanent residents or citizens. The country, however, imposes restrictions on unskilled and low-skilled workers to ensure they do not establish roots, including prohibiting them from bringing their families and requiring employers to pay a monthly foreign worker levy and security bond.
The country has also become increasingly attractive to international students. The growth of the foreign-born population has continued to be rapid; as of 2015, the foreign-born composed 46% of the total population. At the same time, growing numbers of Singaporeans are emigrating for education and work experience in highly skilled sectors such finance, information technology, and medicine. Increasingly, the moves abroad are permanent.
Population distribution
most of the urbanization is along the southern coast, with relatively dense population clusters found in the central areas
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.87 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- total:
- 1.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
- male:
- 1.7 deaths/1,000 live births
- female:
- 1.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Alcohol consumption per capita
- total:
- 1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- beer:
- 1.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- wine:
- 0.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- spirits:
- 0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- other alcohols:
- 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Environment
11 fieldsLand use(2018 est.)
Environment - current issues
- water pollution;
- industrial pollution;
- limited natural freshwater resources;
- limited land availability presents waste disposal problems;
- air pollution;
- deforestation;
- seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
Climate
- tropical;
- hot, humid, rainy;
- two distinct monsoon seasons - northeastern monsoon (December to March) and southwestern monsoon (June to September);
- inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 100% of total population (2023)
- rate of urbanization:
- 0.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Air pollutants
- particulate matter emissions:
- 13.33 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- carbon dioxide emissions:
- 37.54 megatons (2016 est.)
- methane emissions:
- 4.4 megatons (2020 est.)
Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually:
- 7,704,300 tons (2017 est.)
- municipal solid waste recycled annually:
- 4,699,623 tons (2015 est.)
- percent of municipal solid waste recycled:
- 61% (2015 est.)
Total water withdrawal
- municipal:
- 300 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
- industrial:
- 340 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
- agricultural:
- 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Government
Parliamentary republic; President THARMAN Shanmugaratnam (since 14 September 2023); Prime Minister Lawrence WONG (since 15 May 2024)
22 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Parliament, 100 seats, elected 10 July 2020one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Composition: men 70, women 29, percentage women 29.3%
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Singapore
- conventional short form:
- Singapore
- local long form:
- Republic of Singapore
- local short form:
- Singapore
- etymology:
- name derives from the Sanskrit words "simha" (lion) and "pura" (city) to describe the city-state's leonine symbol
Capital
- name:
- Singapore
- geographic coordinates:
- 1 17 N, 103 51 E
- time difference:
- UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- etymology:
- name derives from the Sanskrit words simha (lion) and pura (city), thus creating the city's epithet "lion city"
Administrative divisions
no first order administrative divisions; there are five community development councils: Central Singapore Development Council, North East Development Council, North West Development Council, South East Development Council, South West Development Council (2019)
Constitution
- history:
- several previous; latest adopted 22 December 1965
- amendments:
- proposed by Parliament;
- passage requires two-thirds majority vote in the second and third readings by the elected Parliament membership and assent of the president of the republic;
- passage of amendments affecting sovereignty or control of the Police Force or the Armed Forces requires at least two-thirds majority vote in a referendum;
- amended many times, last in 2020
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth:
- no
- citizenship by descent only:
- at least one parent must be a citizen of Singapore
- dual citizenship recognized:
- no
- residency requirement for naturalization:
- 10 years
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President THARMAN Shanmugaratnam (since 14 September 2023)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Lawrence WONG (since 15 May 2024)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister; Cabinet responsible to Parliament
- elections/appointments:
- president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 6-year term (no term limits);
- election last held on 1 September 2023 (next to be held in 2029);
- following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition appointed prime minister by the president;
- deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
- election results:
- ; 2017 : HALIMAH Yacob declared president on 13 September 2017, being the only eligible candidate
- 2023: THARMAN Shanmugaratnam elected president;
- percent of vote - THARMAN Shanmugaratnam (independent) 70.4%, NG Kok Song (independent) 15.7%, TAN Kin Lian (independent) 13.9%
Legislative branch
- description:
- unicameral Parliament (104 seats statutory; 93 members directly elected by simple majority popular vote, up to 9 nominated by a parliamentary selection committee and appointed by the president, and up to 12 non-constituency members from opposition parties to ensure political diversity; members serve 5-year terms)
- elections:
- last held on 10 July 2020 (next must be held by 24 November 2025)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - PAP 89.2%, WP 10.6%, other 0.2%;
- seats by party - PAP 79, WP 10, PSP 2, independent 9;
- composition - men 70, women 29, percentage women 29.3%
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- Supreme Court (although the number of judges varies - as of April 2019, the court totaled 20 judges, 7 judicial commissioners, 4 judges of appeal, and 16 international judges);
- the court is organized into an upper tier Appeal Court and a lower tier High Court
- judge selection and term of office:
- judges appointed by the president from candidates recommended by the prime minister after consultation with the chief justice;
- judges usually serve until retirement at age 65, but terms can be extended
- subordinate courts:
- district, magistrates', juvenile, family, community, and coroners' courts;
- small claims tribunals;
- employment claims tribunals
Political parties
- People's Action Party or PAP
- Progress Singapore Party or PSP
- Workers' Party or WP
note: the PAP has won every general election since the end of the British colonial era in 1959
International organization participation
ADB, AOSIS, APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNOOSA, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador LUI Tuck Yew (since 30 June 2023)
- chancery:
- 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 537-3100
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 537-0876
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://www.mfa.gov.sg/washington/
- consulate(s) general:
- San Francisco
- consulate(s):
- New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Jonathan KAPLAN (since December 2021)
- embassy:
- 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508
- mailing address:
- 4280 Singapore Place, Washington DC 20521-4280
- telephone:
- [65] 6476-9100
- FAX:
- [65] 6476-9340
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://sg.usembassy.gov/
Flag description
- two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white;
- near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle;
- red denotes brotherhood and equality;
- white signifies purity and virtue;
- the waxing crescent moon symbolizes a young nation on the ascendancy;
- the five stars represent the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality
National symbol(s)
lion, merlion (mythical half lion-half fish creature), orchid; national colors: red, white
National anthem
- name:
- "Majulah Singapura" (Onward Singapore)
- lyrics/music:
- ZUBIR Said
note: adopted 1965; first performed in 1958 at the Victoria Theatre, the anthem is sung only in Malay
National heritage
- total World Heritage Sites:
- 1 (cultural)
- selected World Heritage Site locales:
- Singapore Botanic Gardens
Economy
31 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP · (2023 est.)
Budget(2022 est.)
Economic overview
- high-income, service-based economy;
- global financial hub;
- business-friendly policies and open to investment and trade;
- inflation easing but persistent in services;
- public investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure;
- strong human capital development challenged by aging population
Credit ratings
- Fitch rating:
- AAA (2003)
- Moody's rating:
- Aaa (2002)
Standard & Poors rating: AAA (1995)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture:
- 0% (2023 est.)
- industry:
- 22.4% (2023 est.)
- services:
- 72.4% (2023 est.)
note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
Agricultural products
chicken, eggs, pork, vegetables, duck, spinach, pork offal, pork fat, cabbages, lettuce (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Industries
electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, biomedical products, scientific instruments, telecommunication equipment, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, entrepot trade
Labor force
3.619 million (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Unemployment rate
3.47% (2023 est.) · 3.59% (2022 est.) · 4.64% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
- total:
- 8.3% (2023 est.)
- male:
- 6.5% (2023 est.)
- female:
- 10.4% (2023 est.)
note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
Average household expenditures
- on food:
- 7% of household expenditures (2022 est.)
- on alcohol and tobacco:
- 1.9% of household expenditures (2022 est.)
Remittances
0% of GDP (2023 est.) · 0% of GDP (2022 est.) · 0% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Taxes and other revenues
12.03% (of GDP) (2022 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
Current account balance
$99.128 billion (2023 est.) · $89.701 billion (2022 est.) · $86.137 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exports
$873.989 billion (2023 est.) · $925.952 billion (2022 est.) · $794.47 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Exports - commodities
integrated circuits, refined petroleum, machinery, gold, gas turbines (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports
$686.656 billion (2023 est.) · $733.876 billion (2022 est.) · $637.165 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Imports - commodities
integrated circuits, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, gold, machinery (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$359.835 billion (2023 est.) · $296.629 billion (2022 est.) · $425.098 billion (2021 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Exchange rates
Singapore dollars (SGD) per US dollar - 1.343 (2023 est.) · 1.379 (2022 est.) · 1.343 (2021 est.) · 1.38 (2020 est.) · 1.364 (2019 est.)
Energy
8 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2022 est.)
Installed generating capacity, 12.538 million kW(2022 est.)
Coal
- consumption:
- 784,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
- exports:
- 2,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
- imports:
- 595,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Natural gas
- consumption:
- 13.724 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- exports:
- 352.812 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- imports:
- 15.124 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
241.71 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from coal and metallurgical coke:
- 1.558 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from petroleum and other liquids:
- 213.229 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from consumed natural gas:
- 26.923 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
Communications
7 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2020–22 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- general assessment:
- a wealthy city-state, Singapore has a highly developed ICT infrastructure;
- government supported near universal home broadband penetration and free public access to wireless network;
- the government's telecommunication regulator, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), issued awards in mid-2020 to telecom operators with the goal of having at least 50% of the city-state covered with a standalone 5G network by the end of 2022;
- government actively promoting Smart Nation initiative supporting digital innovation;
- government oversees service providers and controls Internet content;
- well served by submarine cable and satellite connections (2021)
- domestic:
- fixed-line is 32 per 100 and mobile-cellular 146 per 100 teledensity (2021)
- international:
- country code - 65;
- landing points for INDIGO-West, SeaMeWe -3,-4,-5, SIGMAR, SJC, i2icn, PGASCOM, BSCS, IGG, B3JS, SAEx2, APCN-2, APG, ASC, SEAX-1, ASE, EAC-C2C, Matrix Cable System and SJC2 submarine cables providing links throughout Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe;
- satellite earth stations - 3, Bukit Timah, Seletar, and Sentosa;
- supplemented by VSAT coverage (2019 )
Broadcast media
- state controls broadcast media;
- 6 domestic TV stations operated by MediaCorp which is wholly owned by a state investment company;
- broadcasts from Malaysian and Indonesian stations available;
- satellite dishes banned;
- multi-channel cable TV services available;
- a total of 19 domestic radio stations broadcasting, with MediaCorp operating 11, Singapore Press Holdings, also government-linked, another 5, 2 controlled by the Singapore Armed Forces Reservists Association and one owned by BBC Radio;
- Malaysian and Indonesian radio stations are available as is BBC;
- a number of Internet service radio stations are also available (2019)
Transportation
8 fieldsMerchant marine, 3,202 ships by type(2023)
Networkskm
National air transport system
- number of registered air carriers:
- 4 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 230
- annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:
- 40,401,515 (2018)
- annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:
- 5,194,900,000 (2018) mt-km
Pipelines
3,220 km domestic gas (2014), 1,122 km cross-border pipelines (2017), 8 km refined products (2013)
Ports
- total ports:
- 5 (2024)
- large:
- 2
- medium:
- 1
- small:
- 1
- very small:
- 1
- ports with oil terminals:
- 3
- key ports:
- Jurong Island, Keppel - (East Singapore), Pulau Bukom, Pulau Sebarok
Military and Security
7 fieldsPersonnel strengthsone square, 1,000 people · (2023)
Military and security forces
Singapore Armed Forces (SAF; aka Singapore Defense Force): Singapore Army, Republic of Singapore Navy, Republic of Singapore Air Force (includes air defense), Digital and Intelligence Service
- Ministry of Home Affairs:
- Singapore Police Force (SPF; includes Police Coast Guard and the Gurkha Contingent) (2024)
note 1: the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) was stood up as the fourth SAF service in October of 2022
note 2: the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force (GCSPF) is a paramilitary unit for riot control and acts as a rapid reaction force
note 3: in 2009, Singapore established a multi-agency national Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) to work with law enforcement and maritime agencies to guard Singapore’s waters, including conducting daily patrols, as well as boarding and escort operations in the Singapore Strait; the MSTF is subordinate to the Singapore Navy
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the SAF has a diverse and largely modern mix of domestically produced and imported Western weapons systems;
- in recent years, France, Germany, and the US have been among the top suppliers of arms;
- Singapore has the most developed arms industry in Southeast Asia and is also its largest importer of weapons (2024)
Military service age and obligation
- 18-21 years of age for compulsory military service for men;
- 16.5 years of age for voluntary enlistment (with parental consent);
- 24-month conscript service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers);
- women are not conscripted, but they are allowed to volunteer for all services and branches, including combat arms (2023)
note 1: under the Enlistment Act, all male Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, unless exempted, are required to enter National Service (NS) upon attaining the age of 18;
most NS conscripts serve in the Armed Forces, but some go into the Police Force or Civil Defense Force; conscripts comprise over half of the defense establishment
note 2: women began serving in the SAF in 1986; as of 2022, women made up about 8% of the regular force
note 3: the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) also has a uniformed volunteer auxiliary branch known as the Volunteer Corps (SAFVC); the SAFVC allows citizens and residents not subject to the National Service obligation, including Singaporean women, first generation permanent residents, and naturalized citizens, to contribute towards Singapore's defense; the volunteers must be 18-45 and physically fit
note 4: members of the Gurkha Contingent (GC) of the Singapore Police Force are mostly recruited from a small number of hill tribes in Nepal; the GC was formed in 1949 originally from selected ex-British Army Gurkhas
Military deployments
maintains permanent training detachments of military personnel in Australia, France, and the US (2023)
Military - note
the SAF’s primary responsibility is external defense, but it has trained for certain domestic security operations, including joint deterrence patrols with police in instances of heightened terrorism alerts; the Army includes a “people’s defense force,” which is a divisional headquarters responsible for homeland security and counterterrorism
the SAF's roots go back to 1854 when the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps was formed under colonial rule; the first battalion of regular soldiers, the First Singapore Infantry Regiment, was organized in 1957; the modern SAF was established in 1965 and is today widely viewed as the best equipped military in Southeast Asia
Singapore is a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK; the FPDA commits the members to consult with one another in the event or threat of an armed attack on any of the members and to mutually decide what measures should be taken, jointly or separately;
there is no specific obligation to intervene militarily; Singapore also has close security ties with the US, including granting the US military access, basing, and overflight privileges (2024)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
- drug abuse limited because of aggressive law enforcement efforts, including carrying out death sentences;
- as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for money laundering
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Singapore.” The World Factbook 2024. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/singapore/2024.