For information on the population of Singapore, see Demographics of Singapore.
"Singaporean" redirects here. For other uses, see Singaporean (disambiguation).
Singaporeans
Orang Singapura(Malay) 新加坡人(Chinese) சிங்கப்பூரர்(Tamil)
Flag of Singapore
Singapore Chinese (East Asian), Malay (Southeast Asian), and Indian (South Asian) women, circa 1890. To promote racial harmony among the three races, a Racial Harmony Day has been observed every year since 1997.
Total population
3.8 million
Regions with significant populations
Singapore 3,498,200 (2020 census)[a]
Diaspora total
340,751[2][b]
Malaysia
91,002[2]
Australia
64,739[2]
United Kingdom
58,432[2]
United States
39,018[2]
Indonesia
23,524[2]
China
12,799[2]
Canada
12,582[2]
Bangladesh
9,709[2]
New Zealand
5,734[2]
India
4,155[2]
Netherlands
4,126[2]
Japan
2,735[2]
Germany
2,638[2]
France
2,512[2]
Switzerland
2,349[2]
Vietnam
1,830[2]
Norway
1,000[2]
Sweden
1,000[2]
Denmark
1,000[2]
Malta
1,000[2]
Mexico
1,000[2]
Finland
1,000[2]
Languages
English
Mandarin
Malay
Tamil
Religion
Buddhism
Christianity
Islam
Taoism
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Overseas Singaporean
Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore.[3] Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious, and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian descent have made up the overwhelming majority of the population since the 19th century.[4] The Singaporean diaspora is also far-reaching worldwide.
In 1819, the port of Singapore was established by Sir Stamford Raffles, who opened it to free trade and free immigration on the island's south coast. Many immigrants from the region settled in Singapore. By 1827, the population of the island was composed of people from various ethnic groups².[5]
Singapore is a multilingual and multicultural society. It is home to people of many different ethnic, religious and national origins -- the majority of which are of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian descent. The Singaporean identity was fostered as a way for these different groups to integrate and identify as one with the nation, while preserving the culture and traditions of each group without assimilating minority cultures into a single majority culture.[6]
According to a 2017 survey by the Institute of Policy Studies, 49% of Singaporeans identify with both the Singaporean identity and their ethnic identity equally, while 35% would identify as "Singaporeans" first and 14.2% would identify with their ethnic identity.[7] As of 2019, the population of Singaporeans stands at 4,026,200 and the population of Overseas Singaporeans stands at 340,751, with 217,200 individuals retaining their citizenship.[1][2]
^ abc"2019 Singapore Population in Brief" (PDF). Strategy Group Singapore, Prime Minister's Office. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx"International migrant stock 2019". United Nations. Retrieved 25 June 2020. This figure includes people who are of Malaysian origin in Singapore, not only Malaysian citizens
^Josey, Alex (15 February 2013). Lee Kuan Yew: The Crucial Years. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. p. 457. ISBN 9789814435499. By legal definition the Singaporean is a citizen of Singapore; By emotive definition, a Singaporean is a person by birth, upbringing or residence in Singapore
^Saw Swee-Hock (March 1969). "Population Trends in Singapore, 1819–1967". Journal of Southeast Asian History. 10 (1): 36–49. doi:10.1017/S0217781100004270. JSTOR 20067730.
^"History of Singapore". One World Nations Online. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
^"Arts, culture and a distinct Singaporean identity". The Straits Times. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2020. Singaporean variants of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian cultures, and a growing Singaporean identity that we all share, suffusing and linking up our distinct individual identities and ethnic cultures.
^Matthews, M.; Lim, L.; SHANTHINI, S.; Cheung, N. (1 November 2017). "CNA-IPS SURVEY ON ETHNIC IDENTITY IN SINGAPORE" (PDF). Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. IPS Working Papers. 28: 16–17. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
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identity. As of 2019, the population of Singaporeans stands at 4,026,200 and the population of Overseas Singaporeans stands at 340,751, with 217,200 individuals...
Indian Singaporeans are Singaporeans of Indian or of general South Asian ancestry. They constitute approximately 9.0% of the country's citizens, making...
Singaporean Chinese may refer to: Chinese Singaporeans, the citizens or residents of Singapore who are of Chinese ancestry Singaporean Mandarin, the dialect...
Singaporean Americans are Americans of Singaporean descent. There is a small community of Singaporeans in the United States, consisting largely of expatriate...
Malay Singaporeans (Malay: Orang Melayu Singapura) are Singaporeans of Malay ancestry, including those from the Malay Archipelago. They constitute approximately...
2015, the number of Singaporeans moving abroad increased to 314,281 individuals. By 2019, there were 340,751 overseas Singaporeans, with 123,551 individuals...
Eurasian Singaporeans are Singaporeans of mixed European and Asian descent. Their Asian ancestry trace from colonial India to other colonies while their...
out the fact that Singaporeans do not all speak the same language, share the same religion, or have the same customs. Singaporeans who speak English as...
Singaporean Canadians are Canadians of Singaporean descent. There is a small community of Singaporeans in Canada, consisting largely of expatriate professionals...
with the lingua franca between Singaporeans of different races being English, the de facto main language. Singaporeans often speak Singlish among themselves...
This is a list of Singaporeans, people who are identified with Singapore through residential, legal, historical, or cultural means, sorted by surnames/family...
Singaporeans, even those of the same ethnic group, have many different first languages and cultures. For example, in 2005, among Chinese Singaporeans...
specialist skills are missing in Singaporeans. Government-linked companies should start the trend by enrolling more Singaporeans in the executive and management...
of government policies. This section contains a list of notable Arab Singaporeans, people with Arab ancestry born or naturalized in Singapore. Syed Abdul...
Social Affairs, they are the largest community of overseas Singaporeans. Most Singaporeans residing in Malaysia are usually expatriates as professionals...
Singaporean literature declares eating a national pastime and food a national obsession. Food is a frequent topic of conversation among Singaporeans....
Korean Singaporean or Singaporean Korean may refer to: Koreans in Singapore Singaporeans in North Korea Singaporeans in South Korea North Korea–Singapore...
in Australia. It is the 2nd largest community of overseas Singaporeans. Most Singaporeans in Australia consists of high-income expatriate professionals...
Singapore and mostly follows the Tamil cultural heritage system. Indian Singaporeans Tamil diaspora "Pure Tamil promoted in China radio station". AsiaOne...
most Chinese-speaking Singaporeans are able to code-switch between Singdarin and Standard Mandarin, likewise with most Singaporeans in general with Singlish...
Singaporeans working to help preserve or spread these forgotten languages in Singapore. Under the bilingual policy of Singapore, Chinese Singaporeans...
There is, however, groups of Hokkien Singaporeans working to help preserve, spread and revive the use of Singaporean Hokkien in the country. The ease of...
Singaporeans in the United Kingdom may refer to people who have full or partial Singaporean origin or descent, born or settled in the United Kingdom,...
programmes for the performing arts in Singapore. Many Singaporeans are bilingual. Most speak Singaporean English and another language, most commonly Mandarin...
allowing Singaporeans an opportunity to vote, which was his main objective while standing for the presidency. He further thanked Singaporeans for their...
lah). Singlish is commonly used by Singaporeans in informal contexts and can be incomprehensible to non-Singaporeans. When the Speak Good English Movement...
for counterfeiters due to the relatively liberal visa requirements for Singaporeans and the tendency for immigration officials to clear Singapore passport...
6-year visa for Singaporean travellers to Australia". The Straits Times. 2 June 2017. "New six-year Australia visa for Singaporeans by Jan 1". 2 June...
Global Information
Malaysia
Australia
United Kingdom
United States
Indonesia
China
Canada
Bangladesh
New Zealand
India
Netherlands
Japan
Germany
France
Switzerland
Vietnam
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
Malta
Mexico
Finland