By 2050, one in four people in Asia and the Pacific will be over 60 years old. This presents a “demographic time bomb” that disproportionately affects developed nations as their populations live longer. Singapore’s population is also ageing rapidly, making it a "super-aged" society. This raises a wide range of social, economic and health concerns for policymakers.
Pressures
Like other industrialised nations, Singapore’s life expectancy increased over the years, from 61 years in 1957 to 83 in 2022 . This can be attributed to improvements in public health, hygiene and standard of living . For instance, research highlights a positive correlation between better nutrition and healthy ageing . The Ministry of Health conducts the National Population Health Survey annually, in conjunction with the Health Promotion Board’s National Nutrition Survey, to monitor the intake of different nutrients like sodium and sugar among Singapore residents . While these studies identify areas for improvement, Singaporeans have gradually adopted healthier eating habits , possibly driven by various Health Promotion Board initiatives . Singapore also possesses a technologically advanced healthcare system that has enabled early detection – and thus treatment – of conditions like tuberculosis and cancer , thereby lowering death rates.
Simultaneously, Singapore’s fertility rate has been decreasing since 1960 , reaching a historic low of 0.97 in 2023. This mirrors a global trend of declining birth rates in developed countries. Rapid economic development and inflation have increased living costs , making it more expensive to raise children. According to a YouGov poll, a majority of respondents (52%) below 35 years old did not have children as they “can’t afford to raise children in Singapore”, despite the various financial incentives provided by the government. 39% of respondents in the same demographic also feared that having children “would impact [their] career and current lifestyle” . Some Singaporeans in this age group are in the “sandwich generation” and face the challenge of supporting both their elderly parents and young children, not just financially, but also in caregiving. Faced with these demands, younger people are defying traditional expectations of family formation and parenthood.
Existing Policies and Measures
Migrant Domestic Workers
The Foreign Maid Scheme was first introduced by the government in 1978. As of December 2023, 286,500 migrant domestic workers were working in Singapore. Domestic workers enable their Singaporean employers to balance careers and families by providing care for dependent family members. However, as highlighted by various non-governmental organisations, migrant domestic workers face problems caused by cultural differences, forced labour , emotional abuse , and the provision of low-quality and insufficient food . Furthermore, many migrant domestic workers arrive in Singapore with sizeable debts because of agents’ fees. They are afraid to report abuse by their employers, because they cannot risk unemployment, loss of income and repatriation.
Following several high-profile cases of abuse, in 2014, Myanmar prohibited its citizens from working as domestic workers in Singapore. Such policies disrupt the supply of labour that Singapore is heavily dependent on, and also undermine diplomatic relations between Singapore and neighbouring migrant-sending countries. Fundamentally, society and the government must acknowledge and address the problems faced by migrant domestic workers, and pay greater attention to their welfare.
Healthcare System
Singapore’s healthcare system is a key infrastructure that supports the ageing population. Currently, Singaporeans and permanent residents make up about 72% of Singapore’s registered nurses, with the remaining from other countries. This overreliance on foreign nurses is a vulnerability, as revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 when the Philippines banned its nurses from working abroad to secure its domestic healthcare system. In addition, as of 2021, the attrition rate of migrant nurses in the public sector was about 15%. Singapore’s healthcare system is not considered ideal by many migrant nurses, due to insufficient protection against abuse, heavy workload and poor work-life balance, with many nurses spending 80% of their time at work. Thus, migrant nurses often leave the Singapore healthcare system after some time. Many migrant nurses – particularly those from Southeast Asia – perceive Singapore as a stepping stone before migrating to destinations like the US and Australia. This is a net loss for Singapore in terms of the departure of experienced nurses and the training invested in them.
Augmenting the Workforce and Population
Beyond care workers, the government seeks to complement the resident workforce by attracting migrant workers for various industries. In 2023, Singapore had about 1.24 million migrant workers after excluding migrant domestic workers. While most low- and semi-skilled work-permit holders are considered transient workers, the government welcomes investors, professionals and highly skilled migrant workers who “can contribute to Singapore, share our values and integrate into our society” to become permanent residents or citizens. Various policies have also been established to facilitate the integration of high-skilled migrants in Singapore society. However, not all Singaporeans agree with the government’s stance. Some Singaporeans are concerned that such “foreign talent” poses unfair competition for jobs, since they tend to be regarded as “cheaper” and “more hardworking” than locals.
The government has introduced several policies to mitigate Singapore’s demographic time bomb. However, managing an ageing population remains a key challenge for Singapore, because a country’s fertility rates are closely tied to residents’ personal decisions, priorities and preferences, which may not be easily influenced by government policies. Population ageing remains a pressing issue, not just in Asia, but across the world, as one in six people will be aged 60 years or over by 2030. Countries may be able to address this problem through sharing of best practices and policy experiences, in collaboration with international organisations like the World Health Organization.
Read the case study A “Super-Aged Society”: Defusing Singapore’s Demographic Time Bomb written by Hannah Pang Jing Xuan, which was awarded the Merit Prize in the Case Writing Competition 2023/24 at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Access more
case studies from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
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