Over 21,000 People Granted S’pore Citizenship In 2021, Most Are From SEA Countries

57.3% Of 21,537 New Singapore Citizens In 2021 Were From SEA Countries

Singapore’s population has grown to 5.64 million as of June this year, which is a 3.4% increase from 2021.

With border restrictions easing, many have returned to the island and more people have become citizens as well.

21,537 individuals became Singapore citizens last year, with over half originally hailing from Southeast Asian (SEA) countries.

Meanwhile, 33,435 people became permanent residents (PRs).

57.3% who gained Singapore citizenship in 2021 are from SEA countries

According to the annual Population in Brief report, a majority of people who gained Singapore citizenship hail from SEA countries, at 57.3%.

36.8% of the total are from other Asian countries.

6% were from other countries.

The biggest group of new citizens are made up of people who are aged 20 years and below, at 35.9%.

This is the full breakdown by age group:

• 20 years and below: 35.9%
• 21-30 years: 15.2%
• 31-40 years: 25.9%
• Above 40 years: 23%

81.1% of them have at least a post-secondary education.

6%, or 1,240 people, were overseas-born children of locals.

The figures are higher because of the easing of travel restrictions and safe management measures, the Government noted.

Permanent residents

All potential new citizens of adult age have to be permanent residents first, the Government said.

PR applicants also have to be physically present for their applications, which due to Covid-19 meant applications were slowed.

New citizens who weren’t PRs were either:

• children of citizens, including those born overseas to Singaporean parents, or
• children of PRs who were included as dependents in their parents’ citizenship application

Here’s the breakdown of new PRs by age group:

• 20 years and below: 22.9%
• 21-30 years: 35.7%
• 31-40 years: 31.5%
• Above 40 years: 9.9%

60.3% of new PRs hail from Southeast Asian countries, while 32.2% were from other Asian countries.

Non-residents increase to 1.56 million

As of June, there are about 1.56 million non-residents in Singapore, a 6.6% increase since last June.

This is apparently due to a recovery in foreign employment levels.

However, it is below the pre-pandemic level of 1.68 million as many non-residents left Singapore during the pandemic.

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Featured image by MS News.