Official figures on Singapore permanent residence (PR) and citizenship grants from 2007 to 2025, and the population by residency status from 1990 to 2026. We compiled them from every edition of Population in Brief since 2008 and from the Department of Statistics.
Updated 20 October 2026 with Population in Brief 2026
Key figures
Singapore granted permanent residence to 35,352 people in 2025, up from 35,264 in 2024. That is the highest annual figure since 2009.
Singapore granted citizenship to 25,094 people in 2025, the highest figure since at least 2009. A further 1,646 children born overseas received citizenship by descent.
From 2021 to 2025 Singapore granted an average of 34,600 PRs and 22,400 citizenships a year, compared with 31,200 PRs and 20,600 citizenships a year from 2016 to 2020.
There were 546,636 permanent residents at end-June 2026, which is 12.9% of Singapore residents. The PR population has stayed between about 489,000 and 547,000 since 2009.
The government plans to grant about 40,000 PRs and 25,000 to 30,000 citizenships a year over the next five years (announced February 2026).
ICA does not publish how many PR applications it receives, so there is no official PR approval rate.
In 2025, 32.2% of new PRs were aged 31 to 40 (23.3% in 2012), and 10.9% were over 40 (8.0% in 2012).
In 2025, 61.6% of new PRs came from Southeast Asia, 31.6% from other Asian countries and 6.8% from the rest of the world.
In 2025, 84.7% of new PRs aged 20 and over held a post-secondary qualification.
Singapore PR statistics chart tool
Pick a series and a year range. You can copy a link to the exact chart you are looking at.
Calendar-year grants. Citizenship grants exclude children granted citizenship by descent, which are shown separately from 2015. PR grants fell sharply after the immigration framework was tightened in late 2009.
Pick a series and a year range. You can copy a link to the exact chart you are looking at. Full data tables
What the historical PR statistics show
A different scale after 2009
Annual PR grants reached 79,167 in 2008. From 2010 to 2025 they stayed in a much narrower range, with 27,470 in the pandemic year 2020 and 35,352 in 2025. The latest figure is only 88 above 2024. A rising national total does not tell an individual applicant whether their case is stronger.
Why the PR population is not the sum of annual grants
PR grants measure new grants over a calendar year. The PR population measures people holding that status at end-June. Citizenship acquisition, deaths and other changes to residency affect the stock. Adding annual grants to last year’s PR population therefore will not reproduce this year’s population.
Profiles describe successful applicants, not your probability
The share of new PRs aged 31–40 rose from 23.3% in 2012 to 32.2% in 2025. But the data does not show how many people in each age group applied. It cannot establish an age-specific approval rate or prove ICA changed a particular selection weight. Education shares cover grantees aged 20 and over, a different denominator from all-age grants.
How to use the chart tool
Choose grants to compare calendar years, or population to view the end-June headcount. Use age, origin or qualification charts for published profiles. Select a year range and open the data table to see the figures; copy the link to preserve the selected chart. Counts calculated from rounded profile percentages are estimates. The full tables below remain readable without using the chart.
Policy plans and observed outcomes are different
The announced plan for about 40,000 PR grants a year is a future policy intention, not an observed 2026 result, a guaranteed minimum or an individual entitlement. Use the published annual grant series to assess outcomes. Population in Brief 2026 reports 2025 grants alongside June 2026 population figures.
Full data tables
Table 1. Singapore PR and citizenship grants, 2007–2025
Year
PRs granted
Citizenships granted
Citizenship by descent
Citizenships per 100 PR grants
2025
35,352
25,094
1,646
71.0
2024
35,264
22,766
1,409
64.6
2023
34,491
22,140
1,332
64.2
2022
34,493
21,802
1,280
63.2
2021
33,435
20,297
1,240
60.7
2020
27,470
19,741
1,344
71.9
2019
32,915
21,115
1,599
64.2
2018
32,710
20,974
1,576
64.1
2017
31,849
20,503
1,573
64.4
2016
31,050
20,589
1,513
66.3
2015
29,955
19,236
1,579
64.2
2014
29,854
19,003
–
63.7
2013
29,869
19,096
–
63.9
2012
29,891
19,386
–
64.9
2011
27,521
14,327
–
52.1
2010
29,265
17,526
–
59.9
2009
59,460
18,630
–
31.3
2008
79,167
–
–
–
2007
63,627
–
–
–
Table 2. Singapore population by residency status at end-June, 1990–2026
Year
Citizens
Permanent residents
Non-residents
Total population
PRs as % of residents
2026
3,684,888
546,636
1,976,999
6,208,523
12.9%
2025
3,660,683
543,832
1,906,660
6,111,175
12.9%
2024
3,635,937
544,931
1,855,992
6,036,860
13.0%
2023
3,610,658
538,595
1,768,395
5,917,648
13.0%
2022
3,553,749
519,490
1,563,783
5,637,022
12.8%
2021
3,498,191
488,651
1,466,724
5,453,566
12.3%
2020
3,523,191
521,019
1,641,597
5,685,807
12.9%
2019
3,500,940
525,269
1,677,360
5,703,569
13.0%
2018
3,471,936
522,347
1,644,393
5,638,676
13.1%
2017
3,439,177
526,619
1,646,457
5,612,253
13.3%
2016
3,408,943
524,616
1,673,724
5,607,283
13.3%
2015
3,375,023
527,667
1,632,312
5,535,002
13.5%
2014
3,343,030
527,709
1,598,985
5,469,724
13.6%
2013
3,313,507
531,244
1,554,411
5,399,162
13.8%
2012
3,285,140
533,065
1,494,232
5,312,437
14.0%
2011
3,257,228
532,023
1,394,437
5,183,688
14.0%
2010
3,230,719
541,002
1,305,011
5,076,732
14.3%
2009
3,200,693
533,183
1,253,697
4,987,573
14.3%
2008
3,164,438
478,221
1,196,737
4,839,396
13.1%
2007
3,133,848
449,234
1,005,517
4,588,599
12.5%
2006
3,107,924
417,970
875,471
4,401,365
11.9%
2005
3,081,001
386,813
797,948
4,265,762
11.2%
2004
3,057,087
356,179
753,398
4,166,664
10.4%
2003
3,032,541
334,350
747,935
4,114,826
9.9%
2002
3,043,397
339,547
793,006
4,175,950
10.0%
2001
3,017,092
308,810
812,110
4,138,012
9.3%
2000
2,985,886
287,477
754,524
4,027,887
8.8%
1999
2,958,379
271,302
729,042
3,958,723
8.4%
1998
2,929,731
250,287
747,195
3,927,213
7.9%
1997
2,894,794
228,608
672,635
3,796,038
7.3%
1996
2,860,419
207,712
602,572
3,670,704
6.8%
1995
2,823,707
189,808
510,991
3,524,506
6.3%
1994
2,784,168
175,182
459,698
3,419,048
5.9%
1993
2,742,826
161,720
408,924
3,313,471
5.6%
1992
2,702,430
147,324
380,944
3,230,698
5.2%
1991
2,664,625
130,079
340,379
3,135,083
4.7%
1990
2,623,736
112,132
311,264
3,047,132
4.1%
Table 3. Profile of new permanent residents, 2012–2025 (%)
Year
20 and under
21–30
31–40
Over 40
Southeast Asia
Other Asian countries
Rest of world
Post-secondary
2012
29.9
38.9
23.3
8.0
51.2
38.4
10.4
80.6
2013
27.1
40.6
24.3
8.1
55.3
34.6
10.1
81.8
2014
27.5
40.6
24.9
7.0
55.7
34.6
9.6
80.9
2015
29.4
38.4
24.5
7.7
58.5
32.5
9.0
77.7
2016
28.9
40.9
23.5
6.8
62.0
29.6
8.4
82.7
2017
30.5
38.6
24.0
6.8
60.1
31.8
8.1
85.5
2018
29.5
38.3
25.3
7.0
62.5
31.2
6.3
82.2
2019
26.2
38.5
28.4
7.0
59.6
34.1
6.3
82.7
2020
22.7
37.1
31.2
9.1
56.2
35.4
8.4
84.3
2021
22.9
35.7
31.5
9.9
60.3
32.2
7.5
83.4
2022
23.7
29.8
34.2
12.2
60.9
31.1
8.0
81.3
2023
24.7
29.2
33.6
12.5
56.8
35.8
7.4
82.8
2024
24.8
32.6
31.4
11.3
63.9
29.6
6.5
85.5
2025
24.5
32.5
32.2
10.9
61.6
31.6
6.8
84.7
Table 4. Profile of new citizens, 2012–2025 (%)
Year
20 and under
21–30
31–40
Over 40
Southeast Asia
Other Asian countries
Rest of world
Post-secondary
2012
33.9
18.5
28.5
19.0
57.9
39.9
2.2
75.1
2013
36.7
16.5
28.0
18.7
57.9
39.8
2.3
74.4
2014
33.1
16.0
29.8
21.0
57.9
40.0
2.0
74.9
2015
33.9
14.5
29.4
22.2
61.6
36.6
1.8
74.1
2016
33.7
13.4
29.3
23.6
64.8
33.2
2.0
73.5
2017
32.8
14.3
28.8
24.1
68.8
29.4
1.8
75.0
2018
33.1
14.9
28.1
23.9
64.3
33.5
2.2
78.4
2019
31.9
16.5
26.4
25.1
65.2
33.0
1.8
78.1
2020
32.8
16.2
28.0
22.9
58.8
38.5
2.6
80.9
2021
32.0
16.1
27.5
24.4
59.1
38.1
2.8
81.1
2022
29.6
13.4
28.2
28.7
67.9
29.4
2.6
78.2
2023
32.0
12.5
27.8
27.7
71.7
26.0
2.3
77.2
2024
29.9
14.3
28.5
27.4
64.3
32.8
2.9
81.1
2025
28.3
13.7
31.3
26.7
62.1
35.4
2.5
83.2
How to read these figures
Published totals are retained as reported by SingStat. Some historical population totals differ from the sum of their published components by one person.
Grants count people granted PR or citizenship in a calendar year (January to December). Population figures are headcounts at end-June. So the 2026 population figures sit alongside 2025 grants.
Citizenship grants exclude children born overseas to a Singaporean parent who received citizenship by descent. Population in Brief has reported these separately since the 2026 edition, with figures back to 2015. Before 2009, Population in Brief published citizenship totals that included them, so we leave 2007 and 2008 citizenship grants out instead of mixing two definitions.
PR grants include children who apply with their parents. Every year about a quarter of new PRs are aged 20 or under.
ICA publishes the number of PRs granted but not the number of applications. Any "PR approval rate" you see quoted is an estimate, not an official figure. The ratios in the chart tool are E&H calculations, labelled as such.
ICA reports origin by region only: Southeast Asia, other Asian countries, and the rest of the world. It does not publish grants by nationality, race, occupation or salary.
Frequently asked questions
How many people get Singapore PR each year?
Singapore granted 35,352 PRs in 2025 and 35,264 in 2024. From 2021 to 2025 it averaged 34,600 a year. Since the framework was tightened in late 2009, grants have stayed between about 27,000 and 35,500 a year, against 79,167 in 2008.
What is the Singapore PR approval rate?
There is no official approval rate. ICA publishes how many PRs it grants each year but not how many applications it receives, so any percentage quoted online is an estimate. What the official data does show is that between about 27,000 and 35,500 PRs have been granted every year since 2010.
Is Singapore granting more PRs in 2026?
In February 2026 the government said it plans to grant about 40,000 PRs and 25,000 to 30,000 citizenships a year over the next five years. That is higher than the 35,352 PRs granted in 2025. The 2026 grant figures will be published in Population in Brief 2027.
How many permanent residents are there in Singapore?
There were 546,636 permanent residents in Singapore at end-June 2026, or 12.9% of the 4.23 million residents. The total population, including 1.98 million non-residents, was 6.21 million.
Which age group gets Singapore PR most often?
In 2025, 32.5% of new PRs were aged 21 to 30, 32.2% were 31 to 40, 24.5% were 20 or under and 10.9% were over 40. Since 2012 the 31-to-40 group has grown the most, from 23.3% to 32.2%.
Where do new Singapore PRs come from?
In 2025, 61.6% of new PRs came from Southeast Asian countries, 31.6% from other Asian countries (such as China and India) and 6.8% from the rest of the world. ICA does not publish a breakdown by nationality.
Sources
All figures are from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Department of Statistics, published through the National Population and Talent Division's Population in Brief and SingStat.
The numbers show how many people are granted PR, not why. Our consultants can assess your profile against the factors ICA says it considers before you apply.
