Singapore PM Defends Salary Hike for Ministers as Parliament Debate Draws Few Speakers

Singapore's prime minister, Lawrence Wong, told parliament on Thursday that he had weighed a pay increase for ministers and lawmakers "long and hard" before concluding it was necessary to draw capable people into government. He described the move as "the responsible course to take", adding that one of the government's key duties was to ensure the country continues to have capable political leadership in the years ahead.

The adjustment takes effect from October 15. The prime minister's annual salary will rise by 64% to S$3.6 million. A junior minister, currently paid S$1.1 million a year, could earn up to S$1.8 million depending on performance and responsibilities, beginning with a one-off increase of up to 9%. Lawmakers' pay will go up to S$18,500 a month from S$13,750.

Singapore's political salaries are already among the world's highest. Data from the non-profit PoliticalSalaries.com places the city-state's prime minister at the top of the list of best-paid leaders, ahead of the Hong Kong chief executive at $718,000 a year and the Swiss president at $606,000. The US president earns $400,000.

The increases are intended to attract talent and deter graft, and have drawn widespread public attention. Yet the parliamentary debate was relatively subdued, with only six of the 95 elected lawmakers taking part. Singapore last revised ministerial salaries in 2012, when ministers accepted a 36% cut amid public discontent over their earnings.

Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing said overall spending on the salaries of political appointees is expected to stay below 0.05% of government expenditure and below 0.01% of GDP. Pritam Singh, who leads the opposition Workers' Party, said his party "agrees with this more sober approach" of an increment of up to 9% for members of parliament.

Online reaction has been less measured, with the hike generating memes and unease; some users on Reddit called it "tone deaf", and smaller opposition parties have opposed it. The median monthly salary for fully employed residents in Singapore stood at S$5,775 in 2025, while core inflation reached an annual 2% in July, with the central bank expecting it to remain elevated until the second half of 2027.