Overall Population
Singapore’s total population stood at 6.04 million as at June 2024 (Diagram 1), a 2.0 per cent increase from June 2023. This increase was mainly due to the growth in the non-resident population. The annualised population growth rate of 1.1 per cent over the last five years was slightly higher than the 0.8 per cent over the preceding five-year period.
This was mostly due to post-COVID growth in the number of Work Permit Holders in the Construction, Marine Shipyard and Process (CMP) sectors as companies set about catching up on projects that were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diagram 1: Total Population, as at June 2024[1]
Source: Department of Statistics, Ministry of Manpower
Figures may not sum up due to rounding.
The citizen and Permanent Resident (PR) populations increased by 0.7%
(3.61 million to 3.64 million) and 1.2% (538,600 to 544,900) respectively
between June 2023 and June 2024 (Chart 1)[2].
Chart 1: Total Population by residency status, as of June 2024
Source: Department of Statistics
Figures may not sum up due to rounding.
As at June 2024, the Non-Resident (NR) population stood at 1.86 million, an increase of 5.0% from June 2023. The increase was seen across most pass types, with Work Permit Holders contributing most to the increase, followed by Migrant Domestic Workers. Overall, the increase in the NR population was mainly due to foreign employment growth in Singapore from June 2023 to June 2024 (Chart 2). The NR population is diverse, and its size and composition fluctuate depending on our economic and social needs. Today, the foreign workforce makes up about two-thirds of the NR population, while the remaining one-third comprises mainly migrant domestic workers, dependants, and students. As Singapore is fundamentally labour constrained, the foreign workforce complements our local workforce and allows companies to access a broader range of skills from the global labour pool.
Chart 2: Foreign Employment Growth, as at June 2024[3]
Source: Ministry of Manpower
These figures are from the Population in Brief 2024 publication, which provides key updates and trends on Singapore’s population.
[1] Singapore residents comprise citizens and PRs.
Work Permit Holders are semi-skilled non-professionals, managers, executives and technicians (non-PMET) workers from approved source countries. Some work in Construction, Marine Shipyard and Process (CMP) sectors (e.g. construction workers), and others work in non-CMP sectors (e.g. Services, Manufacturing).
S Pass Holders are skilled workers at the associate professionals and technicians (APT) level who earn a salary that is comparable to the top one third of the local APT salaries by age. The minimum qualifying salary starts a $3,150 a month (or $3,650 in the Financial Services sector).
Employment Pass Holders are foreign PMETs who earn a salary that is comparable to the top one-third of the local PMET salaries by age. The minimum qualifying salary starts at $5,000 a month (or $5,500 in the Financial Services sector). The EP holders are also subject to the Complementarity Assessment (COMPASS) framework when applying for/renewing their passes.
Long-Term Visit Pass Holders and Dependant’s Pass Holders are mostly dependants of citizens, PRs, and Work Pass Holders.
[2] The basic count and profile of the population are based on a person’s place of usual residence i.e. de jure concept. Therefore, citizens or PRs who have a registered foreign address or have been overseas continuously for 12 months or more prior to the reference date (i.e. June each year) are not counted as part of our citizen and PR population.
[3] To provide a clearer picture of foreign workforce growth related to economic sectors, Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) are excluded from the figures due to the distinct nature of their employment. Unlike other sectors where foreign workers contribute directly to industries such as Construction, Manufacturing and Services, MDWs work in households, performing domestic tasks.