SINGAPORE - Singapore's population grew at its slowest pace in a decade in the one year to June 2014, due to a slow down in the inflow of foreign workers.
Total population now stands at 5.47 million, up 1.3 per cent from the year before, a slower increase than the 1.6 per cent growth recorded last year, according to the latest government figures released on Thursday.
Growth of the non-resident population, made up mostly of foreign workers, has slowed. It has fallen to 2.9 per cent this year, compared to 4 per cent last year.
This was the result of fewer foreigners being hired, with foreign employment growth slowing to 3 per cent, compared to 5.9 per cent last year.
The National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) said in its latest Population In Brief report that this was due to 'concrete steps taken to slow the growth of our foreign workforce to a more sustainable pace'.
Meanwhile, Singapore's citizen population, at 3.34 million, grew at the same pace last year.
And with increasing life expectancy and low fertility rates, has continued to age, said the NPTD.
Those aged 65 and above now form 12.4 per cent of the citizen population this year, up from 11.7 per cent last year.
The old-age support ratio - which is the number of citizens in the working age band of 20 to 64 supporting one older citizen - has also decreased further.
It has fallen to 5.2, compared to 5.5 last year, and 7.6 in 2004.
The report also showed that the total number of marriages and births had fallen, after a promising increase last year.
Fewer Singaporeans are getting married, with 21,842 marriages involving at least one citizen last year, down from 23,192 the year before.
Singapore residents, across all ethnicities, are also having fewer babies. The total fertility rate was 1.19 last year, compared to 1.29 recorded the year before during the Dragon Year. This is below the replacement rate of 2.1 per cent.
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