Breakdown of Singaporeans and Permanent Residents Recruited for SAF Volunteer Corps by Gender from 2015 to 2025

21 Mr Pritam Singh asked the Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence for each year from 2015 to 2025, how many (i) Singaporeans and (ii) Permanent Residents signed up to the SAF Volunteer Corps, with a breakdown by gender.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Since the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) was established in 2014, over 1,500 men and women have completed training and served as SAFVC Volunteers (SVs). Presently, there are about 1,100 in-service SVs, comprising 52% male and 48% female. About seven in 10 of our in-service SVs are new Citizens or Permanent Residents.

Interest in joining the SAFVC has grown significantly over the years. In the past five years, we have received an annual average of around 900 applications, with about 1,300 applications received in 2025, compared to an annual average of around 600 from 2014 to 2020.