Background: A Malay trading port known as Temasek existed on the island of Singapore by the 14th century. The settlement changed hands several times in the ensuing centuries and was eventually burned in the 17th century and fell into obscurity. The British founded modern Singapore as a trading colony on the site in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but was ousted two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP among the highest globally.

Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 719 km²
Land: 709.2 km²
Water: 10 km²
Comparative: slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 193 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - northeastern monsoon (December to March) and southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms

Terrain: lowlying, gently undulating central plateau

Elevation
Highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m

Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports

Land use
Agricultural land: 1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest: 3.3% (2018 est.)
Other: 95.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 300 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 340 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 600 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: flash floods

Geography
Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes; consists of about 60 islands, by far the largest of which is Pulau Ujong; land reclamation has removed many former islands and created a number of new ones

Population
Distribution: most of the urbanization is along the southern coast, with relatively dense population clusters found in the central areas: 5,975,383 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.9% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Singaporean(s)
Adjective: Singapore

Ethnic groups: Chinese 74.2%, Malay 13.7%, Indian 8.9%, other 3.2% (2021 est.)
Note: data represent population by self-identification; the population is divided into four categories: Chinese, Malay (includes indigenous Malays and Indonesians), Indian (includes Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or Sri Lankan), and other ethnic groups (includes Eurasians, Caucasians, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese)

Languages: English (official) 48.3%, Mandarin (official) 29.9%, other Chinese dialects (includes Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka) 8.7%, Malay (official) 9.2%, Tamil (official) 2.5%, other 1.4%; note - data represent language most frequently spoken at home (2020 est.)
Major-language samples:

Religions: Buddhist 31.1%, Christian 18.9%, Muslim 15.6%, Taoist 8.8%, Hindu 5%, other 0.6%, none 20% (2020 est.)

Demographic profile: Singapore has one of the lowest total fertility rates (TFR) in the world - an average of 1.15 children born per woman - and a rapidly aging population. Women’s expanded educations, widened aspirations, and a desire to establish careers has contributed to delayed marriage and smaller families. Most married couples have only one or two children in order to invest more in each child, including the high costs of education. In addition, more and more Singaporeans, particularly women, are staying single. Factors contributing to this trend are a focus on careers, long working hours, the high cost of living, and long waits for public housing.   With fertility at such a low rate and rising life expectancy, the proportion of the population aged 65 or over is growing and the youth population is shrinking. Singapore is projected to experience one of the largest percentage point increases in the elderly share of the population at 21% between 2019 and 2,050, according to the UN. The working-age population (aged 15-64) will gradually decrease, leaving fewer workers to economically support the elderly population.

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.82% (male 458,019/female 427,364)
15-64 years: 71.49% (male 2,148,471/female 2,123,102)
65 years and over: 13.7% (2023 est.) (male 379,373/female 439,054)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 35.4
Youth dependency ratio: 16.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 19.1
Potential support ratio: 5.2 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 38.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 37.7 years
Female: 40.1 years

Population growth rate: 0.9% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 8.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 4.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: most of the urbanization is along the southern coast, with relatively dense population clusters found in the central areas

Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 6.081 million SINGAPORE (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution; industrial pollution; limited natural freshwater resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; air pollution; deforestation; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 13.33 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 37.54 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 4.4 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 30.5 years (2015 est.)
Note: data represents median age

Maternal mortality ratio: 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 1.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 1.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 1.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 86.5 years (2023 est.)
Male: 83.8 years
Female: 89.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.17 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.1% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 2.46 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

Hospital bed density: 2.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 6.1% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 16.5% (2020 est.)
Male: 28% (2020 est.)
Female: 5% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 2.8% of GDP (2021 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97.5%
Male: 98.9%
Female: 96.1% (2019)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 17 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 17 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.1% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 11.8%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
Conventional short form: Singapore
Local long form: Republic of Singapore
Local short form: Singapore
Etymology: name derives from the Sanskrit words "simha" (lion) and "pura" (city) to describe the city-state's leonine symbol

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Singapore
Geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E
Time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: name derives from the Sanskrit words simha (lion) and pura (city), thus creating the city's epithet "lion city"

Administrative divisions: no first order administrative divisions; there are five community development councils: Central Singapore Development Council, North East Development Council, North West Development Council, South East Development Council, South West Development Council (2019)

Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 22 December 1965
Amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote in the second and third readings by the elected Parliament membership and assent of the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting sovereignty or control of the Police Force or the Armed Forces requires at least two-thirds majority vote in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2020

Legal system: English common law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Singapore
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President THARMAN Shanmugaratnam (since 14 September 2023)
Head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister; Cabinet responsible to Parliament
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 6-year term (no term limits); election last held on 1 September 2023; next to be held in 2,029); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition appointed prime minister by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament (104 seats statutory, 103 current term; 93 members directly elected by simple majority popular vote, up to 9 nominated by a parliamentary selection committee and appointed by the president, and up to 12 non-constituency members from opposition parties to ensure political diversity; members serve 5-year terms); note - the number of nominated members increased to 12 for the 2020 election for the first time
Elections: last held on 10 July 2020 (next must be held by 24 November 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 89.2%, WP 10.6%, other 0.2%; seats by party - PAP 83, WP 10; composition of total Parliament - men 73, women 30, percent of women 29.1%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (although the number of judges varies - as of April 2019, the court totaled 20 judges, 7 judicial commissioners, 4 judges of appeal, and 16 international judges); the court is organized into an upper tier Appeal Court and a lower tier High Court
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president from candidates recommended by the prime minister after consultation with the chief justice; judges usually serve until retirement at age 65, but terms can be extended
Subordinate courts: district, magistrates', juvenile, family, community, and coroners' courts; small claims tribunals; employment claims tribunals

Political parties and leaders:
Note: the PAP has won every general election since the end of the British colonial era in 1959

International organization participation: ADB, AOSIS, APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador LUI Tuck Yew (since 30 June 2023)
In the us chancery: 3,501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 537-3,100
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 537-7,086
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jonathan KAPLAN (since December 2021)
From the us embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258,508
From the us mailing address: 4,280 Singapore Place, Washington DC 20,521-4,280
From the us telephone: [65] 6,476-9,100
From the us FAX: [65] 6,476-9,340
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle; red denotes brotherhood and equality; white signifies purity and virtue; the waxing crescent moon symbolizes a young nation on the ascendancy; the five stars represent the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality

National symbols: lion, merlion (mythical half lion-half fish creature), orchid; national colors: red, white

National anthem
Name: "Majulah Singapura" (Onward Singapore)
Lyrics/music: ZUBIR Said
Note: adopted 1965; first performed in 1958 at the Victoria Theatre, the anthem is sung only in Malay

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Economy overview: high-income, service-based Southeast Asian economy; renowned for financial markets and Asian Infrastructure Exchange; business-driven regulations; low unemployment; electronics, oil, and chemicals exporter; continuing education investment

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 35.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 10.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 2.8% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 173.3% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -149.1% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0% (2017 est.)
Industry: 24.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 75.2% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: poultry, eggs, vegetables, pork, duck meat, spinach, pig offals, bird eggs, pig fat, cabbages

Industries: electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, biomedical products, scientific instruments, telecommunication equipment, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, entrepot trade

Industrial production growth rate: 13.32% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 3.29 million (2021 est.)
Note: excludes non-residents

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.1% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 11.8%

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 45.9 (2017)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.6%
Highest 10%: 27.5% (2017)

Budget
Revenues: $59.974 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $90.264 billion (2020 est.)
Note: expenditures include both operational and development expenditures
Surplus  or deficit: -0.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 12.89% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:
Note: Singapore's public debt consists largely of Singapore Government Securities (SGS) issued to assist the Central Provident Fund (CPF), which administers Singapore's defined contribution pension fund; special issues of SGS are held by the CPF, and are non-tradable; the government has not borrowed to finance deficit expenditures since the 1980s; Singapore has no external public debt

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: China 16%, Hong Kong 16%, United States 8%, Malaysia 9%, Indonesia 5% (2021)
Commodities: integrated circuits, refined petroleum, gold, packaged medicines, appliances, photo lab equipment (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 16%, Malaysia 11%, United States 9%, Taiwan 7%, Japan 5%, Indonesia 5% (2019)
Commodities: integrated circuits, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, gold, gas turbines (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 12.24 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 50,742,380,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 571 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 96.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 2.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 423,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 1,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 424,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 1.448 million bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 13,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 1,121,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 755,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 1.82 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 2.335 million bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 13,396,282,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 550.818 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Imports: 14,727,709,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 238.983 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 1.588 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 211.115 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 26.28 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 639.951 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,906,200 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 9,350,700 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 156 (2022 est.)

Broadcast media: state controls broadcast media; 6 domestic TV stations operated by MediaCorp which is wholly owned by a state investment company; broadcasts from Malaysian and Indonesian stations available; satellite dishes banned; multi-channel cable TV services available; a total of 19 domestic radio stations broadcasting, with MediaCorp operating 11, Singapore Press Holdings, also government-linked, another 5, 2 controlled by the Singapore Armed Forces Reservists Association and one owned by BBC Radio; Malaysian and Indonesian radio stations are available as is BBC; a number of Internet service radio stations are also available (2019)

Internet
Country code: .sg
Users total: 5.369 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 91% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 1,509,700 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 26 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note 1: the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) was stood up as the fourth SAF service in October of 2022
Note 2: the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force (GCSPF) is a paramilitary unit for riot control and acts as a rapid reaction force
Note 3: in 2009, Singapore established a multi-agency national Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) to work with law enforcement and maritime agencies to guard Singapore’s waters, including conducting daily patrols, as well as boarding and escort operations in the Singapore Strait; the MSTF is subordinate to the Singapore Navy

Military service age and obligation: 18-21 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 16.5 years of age for voluntary enlistment (with parental consent); 24-month conscript service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers); women are not conscripted, but they are allowed to volunteer for all services and branches, including combat arms (2023)
Note 1: under the Enlistment Act, all male Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, unless exempted, are required to enter National Service (NS) upon attaining the age of 18; most NS conscripts serve in the Armed Forces, but some go into the Police Force or Civil Defense Force; conscripts comprise over half of the defense establishment
Note 2: as of 2019, women made up about 8% of the active force
Note 3: the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) also has a uniformed volunteer auxiliary branch known as the Volunteer Corps (SAFVC); the SAFVC allows citizens and residents not subject to the National Service obligation, including Singaporean women, first generation permanent residents, and naturalized citizens, to contribute towards Singapore's defense; the volunteers must be 18-45 and physically fit
Note 4: members of the Gurkha Contingent (GC) of the Singapore Police Force are mostly recruited from a small number of hill tribes in Nepal; the GC was formed in 1949 originally from selected ex-British Army Gurkhas

Space program
Overview: space program and capabilities are largely commercial with a focus on acquiring or developing and manufacturing small RS (including optical and microwave) satellites, other satellite-related capabilities, such as data processing, and rockets capable of placing small satellites in low Earth orbit; manufactures and operates satellites; has a considerable civil/commercial and university-based research and development program; has established relations with the space agencies and industries of China, the European Space Agency, India, Japan, and the US; has over 50 companies involved in space-related technology development and manufacturing (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 230
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 40,401,515 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 5,194,900,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 9V

Airports: 9 (2021)
With paved runways: 9
With paved runways civil airports: 0
With paved runways military airports: 2
With paved runways joint use (civil-military) airports: 3
With paved runways other airports: 4
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Pipelines: 3,220 km domestic gas (2014), 1,122 km cross-border pipelines (2017), 8 km refined products (2013) (2013)

Roadways
Total: 3,500 km (2017)
Paved: 3,500 km (2017) (includes 164 km of expressways)

Merchant marine
Total: 3,227 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 574, container ship 542, general cargo 99, oil tanker 633, other 1,379

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Singapore
Container ports teus: Singapore (37,470,000) (2021)
Lng terminals import: Singapore

Disputes international: piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 1,109 (2022)

Illicit drugs: drug abuse limited because of aggressive law enforcement efforts, including carrying out death sentences; as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for money laundering