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S'pore GDP grows by 4.6% in Q1, biggest increase from construction industry: Advance estimates
Growth in the construction industry was supported by a step-up in both public and private construction works.
April 14, 2026, 11:57 AM
Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.6 per cent on a year-by-year basis in the first quarter of 2026, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said in a press release on Apr. 14.
According to figures provided, the economy's growth was at a similar rate to the corresponding period of 2025, but was down from the 5.7 per cent growth in last year's fourth quarter.
On a quarter-to-quarter seasonally-adjusted basis, the economy contracted by 0.3 per cent, a dip from the 1.3 per cent expansion in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The ongoing Iran conflict may potentially weigh on economic activity in the coming quarters, according to MTI.
Construction industry saw largest expansion
Of the industries factored into the GDP measurement, the construction industry was found to have had the largest expansion from the previous year and quarter.
On a year-to-year basis, it saw a 9.0 per cent expansion in the first quarter of 2026, a jump from the 4.2 per cent expansion from the corresponding period of the previous year.
On a quarter-to-quarter basis, the industry clocked a 3.7 per cent growth rate, faster than the 0.2 per cent expansion in the previous quarter.
The accelerated growth rate was supported by a step-up in both public and private sector construction works, said MTI.
Other sectors measured included manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, information and communications, finance and insurance and professional services.
All remaining service sectors, including accommodation and food services and real estate, grew by 2.3 per cent.
All sectors within this group grew in the quarter, said MTI, but the real estate sector in particular expanded through steady growth in developer activities.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector saw the largest contraction on a quarterly basis with 4.9 per cent, a reversal from the 4.5 per cent expansion of the previous quarter.
It clocked output declines in the biomedical manufacturing, general manufacturing and chemicals clusters, but the dip was offset by expansions in the electronics, transport engineering and precision engineering clusters.
Top images via Unsplash
