Publishing Numbers of Citizens and PRs Who Have Registered Foreign Address or Been Overseas for at Least 12 Months
Prime Minister's OfficeSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the exclusion of Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) with registered foreign addresses or long-term overseas stays from official population statistics. Mr Leong Mun Wai enquired about the annual numbers of such individuals since 2020 and if the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) would publish these figures. Minister Indranee Rajah explained that reporting follows the "de jure" concept of usual residence, which excludes those residing abroad for at least 12 months. She noted these individuals typically represent 2% to 3% of SCs and 8% to 9% of PRs, though numbers rose during the COVID-19 pandemic due to travel restrictions. Minister Indranee Rajah stated that NPTD will continue to review its publication format periodically to ensure consistency with international best practices.
Transcript
85 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Prime Minister in each year since 2020 (a) how many (i) Singapore Citizens (SCs) and (ii) Permanent Residents (PRs) who have a registered foreign address or been overseas for at least 12 months continuously were not included as part of citizen and PR population in the Population in Brief publication by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD); (b) whether NPTD will consider publishing this figure in future editions of Population in Brief; and (c) if not, why.
Ms Indranee Rajah (for the Prime Minister): In line with international recommendations, we base our population estimates on the "de jure" population concept, or place of "usual residence". Our methodology for reporting Singapore Citizen (SC) and Permanent Resident (PR) data therefore excludes those who have only a registered foreign address, or SCs and PRs who have been overseas continuously for 12 months or more. This is explained in the Population in Brief publication.
This group of SCs and PRs includes overseas students, professionals working abroad and those who are residing overseas for family reasons. Over the past decade, these SCs and PRs have made up between 2%-3% and 8%-9% of the overall SC and PR populations, respectively. This is with the exception of the COVID-19 period, when travel restrictions resulted in more SCs and PRs staying abroad for 12 months or more.
The National Population and Talent Division will continue to regularly review the annual Population in Brief publication, taking into account international best practices.