SINGAPORE - Singapore’s population grew by 1.2 per cent in the past year, with 6.11 million people calling the little red dot home as of June 2025.

The increase was mainly due to the growth in the non-resident population, such as work permit holders in the construction sector and domestic helpers, said the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD ), which released the Population in Brief 2025 report on September 29. 

Meanwhile, Singapore’s population continues to age rapidly, and more Singaporeans are remaining single.

There was a spot of good news on the baby front, though.

In 2024, there were 29,327 citizen births, which refers to babies with at least one Singaporean parent. This is a 1.2 per cent increase from the 28,877 such babies born in 2023.

The Republic’s resident total fertility rate, which reached a historic low in 2023, remained unchanged at 0.97. The figure refers to the average number of babies each woman would have during her reproductive years.

As of June 2025, Singapore had 3.66 million citizens, a slight increase from 3.64 million citizens a year ago. The number of permanent residents (PR) remained unchanged at 0.54 million.

The rest of the 1.91 million in population were non-residents, with the foreign workforce making up about two-thirds of this group.  The remaining one-third comprises mainly migrant domestic workers, dependants and students.

Among new citizens in 2024 , almost two in three, or 64.3 per cent, came from Southeast Asia. Close to one in three, or 32.8 per cent, were from other Asian countries, while fewer than 3 per cent hailed from elsewhere.

All new adult citizens came from the pool of PRs, as individuals have to obtain PR status before they may apply for Singapore citizenship, said NPTD. The majority of PRs are aged between 25 and 59.

Singapore’s annualised population growth rate over the past five years was 1.5 per cent, compared to 0.5 per cent in the preceding five years from 2015 to 2020.

This was mainly due to an increase in the number of work permit holders in the construction sector to support key infrastructure projects, such as Changi Terminal 5 and the ramping up of housing supply, said NPTD.

The city-state’s non-resident population grew by 2.7 per cent year-on-year to 1.91 million in June . It added 34,000 foreign workers between June 2024 and June 2025, compared to 39,000 in the preceding year.

The median age of citizens rose to 43.7 years, compared to 43.4 years in June 2024. Meanwhile, the number of citizens aged 65 and above rose from 19.9 per cent in 2024 to 20.7 per cent in the latest report.

Singaporeans marrying later, having smaller families

Fewer Singaporeans tied the knot in 2024 according to the 31-page report, which is published annually.

There were a total of 22,955 citizen marriages in 2024, which is 5.7 per cent lower than the 24,355 such marriages in 2023. A citizen marriage is one involving at least one Singaporean.

Across a longer time period, the average number of annual citizen marriages has also trended down. Between 2020 and 2024, there were about 23,000 marriages each year, compared to 23,600 marriages in the preceding five years.

Citizens are also marrying older - the median age at first marriage for men was 30.8 years in 2024 compared to 30.1 a decade prior. For women it rose to 30.1 years, compared to 27.9 in 2014.

The report noted that the number of singles has been rising in recent years - between 2019 and 2024, the proportion of singles rose across almost all age groups for both men and women.

The trend was particularly pronounced among younger adults, with those in the 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 age groups registering higher proportions of singles compared to other age groups.

Alongside later marriages, Singaporean families are also getting smaller.

The share of Singaporean women aged between 40 and 49 who has just one child rose from 15.9 per cent in 2004 to 22.8 per cent in 2024. The figure refers to ever-married women, or those who are currently married, divorced or widowed.

The proportion of such women in this age group with three or more children fell significantly from 34.4 per cent to 20.6 per cent.

Over the same period, the number with no children doubled from 6.7 per cent in 2004 to 14.4 per cent in 2024.

To encourage Singaporeans to have more children, the Large Families Scheme was announced during the Budget debate in February to provide additional financial support of up to $16,000 for each third and subsequent citizen child.

For example,

for each child from Sept 10, and they will continue to receive $1,000 every year till the child turns six.

The Large Family LifeSG credits can be used at various physical and online merchants to defray household expenses such as groceries and utilities.