Population White Paper

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Cover of the white paper A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore (January 2013, cover).jpg
Cover of the white paper

A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore: Population White Paper, commonly referred to as the Population White Paper (PWP), was a controversial white paper released by the government of Singapore under the People's Action Party (PAP) in 2013, projecting Singapore's population to reach 6.9 million by 2030. [1]

Contents

Background

The PWP argued that up to 30,000 new permanent residents and 25,000 naturalized citizens each year are needed to sustain Singapore's population due to the falling birth rates in Singapore. [1] The PWP projects an increase of 1.6 million people from 2013, or an average of 100,000 more people in Singapore each year. [2] It also justified immigration and presence of foreign workers as helping local businesses thrive and "create good jobs for Singaporeans". [3] The PWP also included additional measures to encourage marriage and increase the birth rate.

The motion was carried by a vote of 77 to 13 in the People's Action Party (PAP)–dominated Parliament, after amendments were made to remove the phrase "population policy" and to place stronger emphasis on infrastructure and transport development. Opposition came from non–PAP parliamentarians, including all seven MPs from the Workers' Party (WP). Three Non-constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) also voted against the motion, comprising two from the WP and one from the Singapore People's Party (SPP). Among the Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs), three opposed it while one abstained. [4] [5]

Reception

Several opposition parties opposing the PWP have taken it to be a targeted increase of Singapore's population to 6.9 million. [2] [5] Even some politicians within the PAP opposed the target, with backbencher MP Inderjit Singh speaking out against the white paper and rebutting Minister of National Development Khaw Boon Wan's analogy comparing population planning to catering for guests at a wedding banquet. [6] [7] In an 8 February 2013 speech in support of the PWP, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that he expected the 2030 population to be "significantly below" the 6.9 million figure, but that 6 million would not be enough, because of the declining birth rate and the needs of aging people. [5]

Many Singaporeans responded to the PWP with shock and anger. [8] [9] On 16 February 2013, about 4,000 Singaporeans assembled at the Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park to demonstrate against the PWP. Protesters expressed fears that the proposed population growth would overburden public services and further raise the cost of living. It was regarded as the largest anti government protest held at the Speakers' Corner since its opening in 2000. [10] [11] Many Singaporeans have attributed the government's liberal population and immigration policies to issues such as overcrowding, declining reliability of public transport due to overuse, rising property prices, suppressed wages, greater competition for jobs particularly for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) as well as challenges in education, growing income inequality, higher crime rates and other social problems. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] Academics have also criticised the PWP as being "overly mechanistic, economically simplistic and astonishingly sociologically and politically naive". [11]

Legacy

The PWP and population-related issues have since become some of the most debated political topics between the governing PAP and opposition parties in subsequent general elections, including in 2015 [19] [20] [21] and 2020, which included another controversy concerning proposals to further increase the population to 10 million. [22] Singapore's population crossed the 6 million mark in 2024. [23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Adam, Shamim (29 January 2013). "Singapore Projects 6.9 Million Population as Neighbors Catch Up". Bloomberg. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 Tan, Heather (17 February 2013). "Singapore seethes over population plan" . Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  3. A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore: Population White Paper, p. 31-32
  4. Neo, Chai Chin (9 February 2013). "Debate ends but conversation continues: PM Lee". todayonline.com. TODAY. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Parliament endorses population White Paper by 77 votes to 13". Yahoo! News. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  6. "Stop the growth in PRs and new citizens: PAP's Inderjit Singh". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  7. Migration (2013-01-31). "High quality of life still possible with larger population: Khaw | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  8. "SMS Tan's Speech at the Parliamentary Debate on the Population White Paper". Ministry of National Development. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  9. Sim, Fann (30 January 2013). "Fury over 6.9 million population target for Singapore". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  10. "Rare mass rally over Singapore immigration plans". bbc.com. BBC News. 16 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  11. 1 2 Tan, Jeanette (27 November 2013). "Population White Paper triggers nationwide debate". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  12. "Opposition, PAP must find common ground for good of the country: SDP's Chee Soon Juan". Channel NewsAsia. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  13. "SDA unveils manifesto, calling for a 'Singapore for Singaporeans'". Channel NewsAsia. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  14. "Singapore tightens rules for hiring foreigners". The China Post. 17 August 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  15. Boh, Samantha (19 April 2012). "Job bias against Singaporeans the top complaint". my paper. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  16. "Singapore to further curb foreign worker inflow". AFP. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  17. Seah, Chiang Nee (24 March 2012). "Talent buy becomes sore point". The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  18. Shaffer, Leslie (23 January 2014). "British banker stirs up storm by mocking Singapore's 'poor'". CNBC. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  19. Zi Liang, Chong (4 September 2015). "GE 2015: WP's East Coast candidates take on hot-button issues at Nee Soon rally". Straits Times. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  20. Yi Han, Lim (4 September 2015). "Words, not photos, for some opposition parties' posters". Straits Times. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  21. Lee, Amanda (5 September 2015). "SDA's list of grievances: CPF, population, educational system". Today (newspaper). Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  22. Grace Ho (2 July 2020). "Singapore GE2020: I did not say Singapore should plan to increase its population to 10 million, says Heng Swee Keat". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  23. Ang, Shermaine (24 September 2024). "Singapore population crosses 6 million mark". straitstimes.com. The Straits Times . Retrieved 29 August 2025.