Singapore - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Singapore. Focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes; consists of about 60 islands, the largest of which by far is Pulau Ujong; land reclamation has removed many former islands and created a number of new ones. Mother's mean age at first birth is 30.5 years (2015 est.) (Note: data represents median age), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Singapore
Location Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates 1 22 N, 103 48 E
Map references Southeast Asia
Tarrain lowlying, gently undulating central plateau
Natural Resources fish, deepwater ports
Natural Hazards flash floods
Irrigated Land 0 sq km (2022)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 193 km
Climate tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - northeastern monsoon (December to March) and southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms
Area
Total Area
Land Area 709.2 sq km
Water Area 10 sq km
comparative Area slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 3 nm
Exclusive fishing zone within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice
Elevations
Highest point Bukit Timah 166 m
Lowest point Singapore Strait 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest 3.3% (2018 est.)
Other 95.7% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Most of the urbanization is along the southern coast, with relatively dense population clusters found in the central areas

People and Society

In Singapore, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Chinese 74.2%, Malay 13.7%, Indian 8.9%, other 3.2% (2021 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.87% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 8.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 6.1% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 1.17 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.57 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 54.3% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 2.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate 4.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Singapore | Singaporean(s)
Languages
Religions Buddhist 31.1%, Christian 18.9%, Muslim 15.6%, Taoist 8.8%, Hindu 5%, other 0.6%, none 20% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 14.6% (male 455,536/female 424,969)
15-64 years 71.1% (male 2,157,441/female 2,126,799)
65 years and over 14.3% (2024 est.) (male 400,653/female 463,061)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 35.4
Youth dependency ratio 16.2
Elderly dependency ratio 19.1
Potential support ratio 5.2 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 39.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 38 years
Female 40.6 years
Urbanization
Urban population 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 6.081 million SINGAPORE (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 1.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 1.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 1.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 86.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 84 years
Female 89.5 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 16.5% (2020 est.)
Male 28% (2020 est.)
Female 5% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 18 0.1% (2022 est.)
Demographic profile

Singapore has one of the lowest total fertility rates (TFR) in the world – an average of 1.15 children born per woman – and a rapidly aging population.  Women’s expanded educations, widened aspirations, and a desire to establish careers has contributed to delayed marriage and smaller families. Most married couples have only one or two children in order to invest more in each child, including the high costs of education.  In addition, more and more Singaporeans, particularly women, are staying single.  Factors contributing to this trend are a focus on careers, long working hours, the high cost of living, and long waits for public housing.    With fertility at such a low rate and rising life expectancy, the proportion of the population aged 65 or over is growing and the youth population is shrinking.  Singapore is projected to experience one of the largest percentage point increases in the elderly share of the population at 21% between 2019 and 2050, according to the UN.  The working-age population (aged 15-64) will gradually decrease, leaving fewer workers to economically support the elderly population.

Migration has played a key role in Singapore’s development.  As Singapore’s economy expanded during the 19th century, more and more Chinese, Indian, and Malay labor immigrants arrived.  Most of Singapore’s pre-World War II population growth was a result of immigration.  During World War II, immigration came to a halt when the Japanese occupied the island but revived in the postwar years.  Policy was restrictive during the 1950s and 1960s, aiming to protect jobs for residents by reducing the intake of low-skilled foreign workers and focusing instead on attracting professionals from abroad with specialist skills.  Consequently, the nonresident share of Singapore’s population plummeted to less than 3%. 

As the country industrialized, however, it loosened restrictions on the immigration of manual workers.  From the 1980s through the 2000s, the foreign population continued to grow as a result of policies aimed at attracting foreign workers of all skill levels.  More recently, the government has instituted immigration policies that target highly skilled workers. Skilled workers are encouraged to stay and are given the opportunity to become permanent residents or citizens.  The country, however, imposes restrictions on unskilled and low-skilled workers to ensure they do not establish roots, including prohibiting them from bringing their families and requiring employers to pay a monthly foreign worker levy and security bond.  The country has also become increasingly attractive to international students. The growth of the foreign-born population has continued to be rapid; as of 2015, the foreign-born composed 46% of the total population.  At the same time, growing numbers of Singaporeans are emigrating for education and work experience in highly skilled sectors such finance, information technology, and medicine.  Increasingly, the moves abroad are permanent.

All Important Facts about Singapore

Want to know more about Singapore? Check all different factbooks for Singapore below.

Singapore is found in South-Eastern Asia