Demographics of Singapore
From Freepedia
Singapore is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The annual growth rate for 2000 was 2.8% (including resident foreigners). Singapore has a varied linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage.
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Ethnic groups
Singapore has always been a country of migrants and it looks like it will continue this way as as much as 26% of Singapore population is actually not Singaporean.
Though the Chinese group is clearly the main ethnic category, there are no precise figures available about the exact population breakdown by ethnic groups.
The only official ethnic breakdown from the "Census 2000" shows : Chinese 77%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.6%, other 1.4%, (100% being Singapore citizens + "resident" foreign population).
Such breakdown does not take into account the "non-resident" foreign population which is particularly important given Singapore size, accounting for up to 19% of the total population. There is no official figures about non-resident population, but Ethnic Chinese are probably only a minority group among "non-residents". Among "non-residents" are noticeable communities like philippines maids, South Asia subgroups from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka employed as low-skilled workers, and others, including expatriates, whether westerner or Asian (Japanese and South Korean).
Also, this official breakdown could be further detailed into subgroups by religion, original region or first/secondary immigration from Malaysia, Indonesia or other origin (for Chinese and Indian groups particularly).
The ethnic composition of the population has been stable over the last 30 years.
| Ethnic composition (%) | ||||
| Ethnic | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 |
| Chinese | 77.0 | 78.3 | 77.7 | 76.8 |
| Malays | 14.8 | 14.4 | 14.1 | 13.9 |
| Indians | 7.0 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 7.9 |
| Others | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.4 |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [1]
Languages
- Main article: Languages in Singapore
There are four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.
The national language is officially Malay, although English is the dominating language. English serves as a link between the different ethnic groups and is the language of the educational system and the administration.
The colloquial English used in daily life is often referred to as Singlish.
The Singapore government has been promoting the use of Mandarin among the Chinese population with its Speak Mandarin Campaign. The use of Chinese dialects, like Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese and Hakka, has been decreasing 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 native language. Other Indian languages are Malayalam and Hindi.
Only about 5000 Baba Nyonya, the early Chinese population of the area, still use of 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 |
| Chinese Dialects | 39.6 | 23.8 |
| Malay | 14.3 | 14.1 |
| Tamil | 2.9 | 3.2 |
Religion
- Main article: Religion in Singapore
Singapore generally allows religious freedom, although some religious sects are restricted or banned. Almost all Malays are Muslim; a large majority of Chinese generally practise a mix of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Christianity is growing among the Chinese. 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]
Population
- Main article: Population of Singapore
4,600,000 (July 2003 est.)
| Age | percentage | male | female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-14 years | 18% | 390,352 | 365,730 |
| 15-64 years | 75% | 1,520,875 | 1,590,355 |
| 65 years and over | 7% | 124,413 | 159,539 |
(2000 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 | 3.54% |
| Birth rate | 12.79 births/1,000 population |
| Death rate | 4.21 deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | 26.8 migrant/1,000 population |
(2000 est.)
| Age | males/female |
|---|---|
| at birth | 1.08 |
| under 15 years | 1.07 |
| 15-64 years | 0.96 |
| 65 years and over | 0.78 |
| total population | 0.96 |
(2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate
3.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population:
80.05 years
male:
77.1 years
female:
83.23 years (2000 est.)
Fertility rate
Singapore's fertility rate is 1.05 children born per woman (CIA Factbook 2005 est.) which is one of the lowest in the world.
Marriages and divorces
| 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]
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
Education
| Resident non-students aged 15 years and over by highest qualification attained | ||
| 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]
Employment
In 2004, the unemployment rate is 4.3 for a labour force of 2.18 million people. In the first quarter of 2005, the unemployment rate is 3.9% which is an increase from 3.7% for the last quarter of 2004 [5].
| Employment, persons aged 15 years and over | |||||||
| 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 |
Unemployment rates were seasonally adjusted.
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [6]
Household income
Average household income
The average household income is SGD$4,943 in 2000, which is an increase from SGD$3,080 in 1990 at an average annual rate of 4.9 percent. The average household income expereinced a drop of 2.7 percent in 1999 due to economic slowdown.
| Household income from work | ||
| Year | Average income (SGD$) | 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. [7]
Measured in 1990 dollars, the average household income rose from SGD$3,080 in 1990 to SGD$4,170 in 2000 at an average annual rate of 2.8 percent. [8]
| Households income from work by ethnic group of head | ||||
| Ethnic group | Average household income (SGD$) | Median household income (SGD$) | ||
| 1990 | 2000 | 1990 | 2000 | |
| Total | 3,076 | 4,943 | 2,296 | 3,607 |
| Chinese | 3,213 | 5,219 | 2,400 | 3,848 |
| Malays | 2,246 | 3,148 | 1,880 | 2,708 |
| Indians | 2,859 | 4,556 | 2,174 | 3,387 |
| Others | 3,885 | 7,250 | 2,782 | 4,775 |
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics. [9]
Household income distribution
| Resident households by income from work | ||||
| Monthly household income (SGD$) | 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. [10]
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 percent in 1999 to 87 percent in 2000 for the lowest 10%. Households with no income earner include those with retired elderly persons as well as unemployed members. [11]
| 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. [12]
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. [13]
| Measures of household income disparity | |||||||
| 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. [14]
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).
See Also
External links
