Singapore Facts

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated April 25, 2020

Singapore, Southeast Asian State; 719 km², 5.6 million residents (2019).Singapore, which is separated from the Malacca Peninsula by the Johores Strait, consists of Singapore Island (just over 590 km² ) and some 50 small islands. The Republic consists of a single metropolitan area, the center of which is on the south coast of Singapore.

Country facts

Republic of Singapore / Republic of Singapore
Country abbreviation: SG
Area: 719 km²
Population (2019): 5.6 million residents
Capital: Singapore
Main languages: English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil
State: Republic
Head of State: Halimah Yacob (President)
Head of Government: Lee Hsien Loong
Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 64,582
GNI per capita (2018): US $ 58,770
Currency unit: 1 Singaporean dollar = 100 cents
Currency code: SGD
Country number (telephony): 65
Internet domain name: sg
Time difference compared to Sweden: +7
National Day: August 9 (Independence Day, 1965)

Population

Population density (2019): 7,788 residents per km²
Natural population growth (2019): 0.4%; birth number 9 ‰, death number 5 ‰
Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (15%), 15-64 (71%), 65- (14%)
Average life expectancy (2019): men 81 years, women 85 years
Infant mortality (2019): 2 per 1,000 live births
Population forecast 2050: 6 million residents
HDI (2017): 0.932 (place 9 of 189)
Urbanization rate (2017): 100%

Business

Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (0%), industry (25%), service (75%)
Exports (2017): US $ 396,800 million
Main export products: computers, pharmaceuticals
Main exporting countries: China, Hong Kong, Malaysia
Imports (2017): US $ 312 100 million
Main import products: machinery, fuel, chemicals
Main importing countries: China, Malaysia, USA

Singapore is flat and largely built. The heavy rains make floods common.

The country became an independent republic in 1965 and a member of the Commonwealth. Parliament consists of a chamber of elected members, elected for five years. The president is elected for six years. The executive power lies with the government, led by the prime minister.

Of all the countries in the world with more than one million residents, Singapore is the country with the highest population density by far. Since independence, the number of residents has multiplied and at the same time the area of the country has increased by 23 per cent through embankments along the coast.

Singapore lacks groundwater and almost all natural resources. Foreign trade is essential for the country’s economy. The development has been promoted by a favorable location, a very good port, a well-educated population, political stability and long experience as an international center for trade and transport.

This has provided a competitive and mainly export-oriented industry and a well-developed infrastructure, which attracts foreign investors. The country has also become Southeast Asia’s leading financial center and Singapore is one of the countries in the world where the economic prosperity of its citizens is highest.