Singapore's population reaches record 6.21 million on foreign resident surge

Singapore's population climbed 1.6% year-on-year to a record 6.21 million in June, government statistics released on Friday showed, with the increase driven by a growing number of foreign residents.

The foreign resident population rose 3.7% to 1.98 million, accounting for the bulk of the overall expansion. The city-state has recorded steady population growth since the end of the pandemic, when it lifted strict restrictions that had kept foreigners out and briefly produced rare declines in its population.

Rising numbers of foreigners in land-scarce Singapore can be politically sensitive, particularly when voters feel anxious about jobs and the cost of living. In 2013, the normally orderly island nation saw protests against plans that would have raised the population to 6.9 million by 2030.

Labour market conditions remain tight. Unemployment stood at 1.9% in the second quarter of 2026, even as retrenchments over the period reached their highest level since the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Singapore has said it aims to grant citizenship to as many as 30,000 people a year over the next five years to address demographic pressures, including low birth rates and an ageing population. As of June 2026, the share of Singaporeans and permanent residents aged above 65 had risen to 19.5%, up from 18.8% in 2025 and 12.4% in 2016.

The government raised its 2026 economic growth forecast in August to 4.5%–5.5% from 2.0%–4.0%, after the economy expanded faster than initially estimated in the second quarter.