The report added that the proportion of elderly citizens is rising, and at a faster pace than the last decade, as large cohorts of “baby boomers” reach 65 years old.
The median age of the citizen population as of June this year is now 43.4 years old, up from 43 last year. This has increased steadily over the last 10 years from 40.4 years in June 2014.
Currently, 60.4 per cent of citizens are aged between 20 and 64, down from 64.8 per cent in 2014. Nearly one-fifth (19.9 per cent) of citizens are aged 65 and above, up from 12.4 per cent a decade ago. By 2030, around one in four citizens (24.1 per cent) will be aged 65 and above.
The number of citizens aged 80 and above also increased by about 65 per cent, from 85,000 in 2014 to 142,000 this year.
IMMIGRATION
The report said the pace of immigration continues to be “measured and stable”. Last year, 23,472 people were granted citizenship and 34,491 were granted permanent residency (PR).
About 5.7 per cent of the new Singapore citizens, or 1,332 of them, were children born overseas to Singaporean parents.
The average number of new citizenships and permanent residencies granted per year over the last five years (22,400 citizenships and 32,600 permanent residencies) was slightly higher than over the preceding five years (21,600 citizenships and 31,100 permanent residencies).
According to the report, the exact number granted each year depends on several factors, such as the number and quality of applications received.
