S'pore to take in 25,000-30,000 new citizens annually over next 5 years to boost population: Gan Kim Yong

Singapore expects to take in between 25,000 and 30,000 new citizens annually over the next five years, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said in Parliament on Feb. 26.

The country granted around 25,000 new citizenships in 2025.

The number of immigrants Singapore ultimately accepts each year will be adjusted depending on demographic trends, including its total fertility rate (TFR), and on the number and suitability of applicants.

The government will also keep in mind the infrastructure and society's capacity to take in these immigrants, Gan added.

Shrinking population

Gan spoke about the immigration plan after announcing that Singapore's resident TFR fell to a new low of 0.87 in 2025, down from 0.97 in 2024.

In a theoretical sense, a 0.87 TFR means that for every 100 residents today, there would be only 44 children and 19 grandchildren.

Coupled with an ageing population, Singapore’s citizen population could begin shrinking in the early 2040s if no new policy measures are taken, Gan said.

Citizen population growth has slowed over the past decade, and grew by just 0.7 per cent in 2025.

He said the first and top priority is to continue to support Singaporeans in forming families.

At the same time, the country will still need a carefully managed immigration flow to augment the low birth rate, he said.

Carefully managed immigration

Gan also noted the concerns that bringing in immigrants might affect job security and Singapore's social fabric, and said the government will continue to address them.

"We will maintain the broad ethnic balance of our citizen population, and continue to carefully manage the impact of immigration on our population composition, to preserve the overall texture of our society," he said.

"We will carefully manage the pace of immigration, and ensure we do not bring in immigrants faster than we can accommodate."

The government will also continue to be selective about who they bring in, and step up integration efforts between citizens and immigrants.

Increasing the PR intake

The government also expects to take in roughly 40,000 permanent residents (PRs) annually in the next five years, slightly higher than the 35,000 granted in 2025.

Singapore's PR population has remained stable at around 540,000 over the past few years.

"Permanent residence is the pathway to work towards citizenship," Gan said.

The adjustments to the PR and immigrant intake will hopefully help to maintain a stable citizen population, and perhaps with a modest growth, he added.

The government will review this policy again by 2030, based on further changes in the TFR and other demographic trends.

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