Foreign Worker Surge Drives Singapore’s Population To New Record

Singapore’s population grew 1.2% in June compared to a year ago, hitting a new high of 6.11 million, government statistics released on Monday showed.

Singapore has experienced steady population growth since the end of the pandemic, during which strict restrictions kept foreigners away and led to rare instances of the Asian financial hub’s population shrinking.

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The latest population increase came mostly from the growth in the number of foreign workers, which reached 1.91 million as of June, 2.7% higher than a year earlier.

The National Population and Talent Division said the increase came from workers in the construction, marine shipyard and processing sectors as well as domestic workers.

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The workers in the construction sector “support key infrastructure projects such as Changi Terminal 5 and the ramping up of housing supply”, it said.

The statistics for June showed that the citizen population inched up 0.7% from a year earlier to 3.66 million, while the number of permanent residents remained at 0.54 million. 

Increases in the number of foreigners in land-scarce Singapore can be a bugbear for political leaders, especially when voters are insecure about jobs and the cost of living.

In 2013, the orderly island nation saw protests against plans for a dramatic increase in immigration that would boost the population to 6.9 million by 2030.

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The population division said the pace of growth in foreign employment remained stable from June 2024 to June 2025.

Unemployment rates in Singapore remained low at 2% in June despite a decrease in job vacancies as businesses worry about a slowing economy.

Singapore’s economy grew slightly faster than initially estimated at 4.4% year-on-year in the April-June quarter, but authorities expect growth to slow in the second half of the year under the impact of U.S. tariffs.

(Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by David Stanway)

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