Profile of Foreigners Granted Singapore Citizenship

8 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Home Affairs for each year since 2000, what is the (i) age, (ii) profession and (iii) income distribution of foreigners who have been granted Singapore citizenship.

Mr K Shanmugam: On age, the Member may refer to my Parliamentary reply to him on 1 August 2022. [Please refer to "Gender and Age Breakdown of New Citizens at Point of Obtaining Citizenship Each Year Since 2000", Official Report, 1 August 2022, Vol 95, Issue 65, Written Answers to Questions section.]

On profession, from 2000 to 2022, at point of application, on average, about 37% of new Singapore Citizens (SCs) granted each year were professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), 14% were non-PMETs and 49% were not economically active. The last group comprises those who were not working and were granted SC on the basis of family ties to Singaporeans, being dependants of the main applicants, or were still studying.

Based on available data, from 2012 to 2022, at point of application, on average, about 32% of new SCs granted each year had a gross monthly income above the median income of full-time employed SCs of that year. This calculation includes new SCs, who were granted SC on the basis of family ties to Singaporeans, being dependants of the main applicants, or were still studying; and may or may not have been working at the point of application.