People & Society
Photo credits: Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth
A strong and cohesive Singapore society is one that also embraces diversity. Singapore has a rich history of welcoming people of different cultures and backgrounds; and many Singaporeans can trace their ancestry beyond the country’s shores.
The coexistence and intermixing of cultures continue today. About 1 in 6 citizen marriages in 2022 were inter-ethnic1 (Chart 7), similar to the trend observed in previous years.
About a third of citizen marriages involved transnational2 couples in 2022, an increase from 29 per cent in 20213 (Chart 8).
Chart 7 : Inter-ethnic marriages as a proportion of citizen marriages, 2012 - 2022
Source: Department of Statistics
The figures are based on the full calendar year (January to December).
Chart 8 : Transnational marriages as a proportion of citizen marriages, 2012 - 2022
Source: Department of Statistics
The figures are based on the full calendar year (January to December).
Immigration helps to moderate the impact of ageing and low birth rates on our citizen population, and keeps it from shrinking over the longer term. Singapore takes in a carefully controlled number of Permanent Residents (PRs) and new citizens each year. New citizenships are granted to individuals who can integrate and contribute to Singapore, and are committed to making Singapore their home. New citizens either share family ties with Singaporeans (for example, through marriage), or have studied, worked or lived in Singapore for some time. The total number of citizenships granted each year also includes those granted to children born overseas to Singaporean parents (“citizens by descent”).
All new adult citizens come from our pool of PRs, as individuals have to obtain permanent residence before they may apply for citizenship in Singapore. The small group of new citizens who were not PRs prior to obtaining citizenship were minors who were either (i) children of citizens, including those born overseas to Singaporean parents, or (ii) children of PRs who were included as dependants in their parents’ citizenship application. Singapore has kept the PR population size stable at around half a million.
The pace of immigration continues to be measured and stable. The exact number of new SC/ PRs granted each year depends on several factors, including the number and quality of applications received, and our changing needs. Every application for SC/ PR is evaluated holistically to assess the applicant’s ability to integrate in and contribute to Singapore, and their commitment to sinking roots here. Various markers of integration are considered, such as applicants’ family ties to Singaporeans, length of residency here, and whether they have studied in Singapore schools or completed National Service. Other factors considered include the applicant’s economic contributions, qualifications and age.
New citizens must make the effort to fit in. To help them along, the National Integration Council (NIC) supports initiatives such as the Singapore Citizenship Journey (SCJ), a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the People’s Association (PA) and the Immigrations & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). All naturalised citizens go through the SCJ to understand Singapore’s history, norms and values, and in the process build stronger ties with the community. Singaporeans were invited to join the Citizen’s Workgroup for SCJ to explore, discuss and create content that is being used to update the SCJ.
Integration is a two-way process. As the newcomers learn and adapt to local values and norms, locals can also play a part by reaching out and helping them understand our local culture and way of life.
1 Inter-ethnic marriages refer to marriages between persons of different ethnicity (e.g. Chinese-Indian, Indian-Malay, Chinese-Others). Data on inter-ethnic marriages have been updated in 2023 to include only marriages where both parties are of different CMIO group..
2 Transnational marriages refer to marriages involving a citizen and a non-citizen (i.e. permanent resident or non-resident).
3 The lower proportions of transnational marriages in 2020 and 2021 were due to COVID-related travel restrictions. Starting from late-March 2020, all non-residents required entry approval to enter Singapore. Video link solemnisations were an option for couples from mid-May 2020 onwards, but both parties needed to be physically present in Singapore. Travel restrictions were gradually eased only from 4Q2021 onwards.