Urban population growth (annual %) in Singapore
Singapore: Urban population growth (annual %) was 1.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Singapore, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 1.2% for urban population growth in 2025.
The figure is down 38.7% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Singapore peaked at 5.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, -4.2%, in 2021.
That places Singapore 114th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Singapore, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.3% | — |
| 1962 | 2.8% | -17.2% |
| 1963 | 2.5% | -8.7% |
| 1964 | 2.6% | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | -5.2% |
| 1966 | 2.5% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 2.2% | -11.2% |
| 1968 | 1.7% | -21.9% |
| 1969 | 1.5% | -12.8% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 1.8% | +17.9% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | -10.9% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | -12.3% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | -7.7% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | -12.7% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | +4.4% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 4.8% | +278.8% |
| 1982 | 4.4% | -8.7% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | -70.4% |
| 1984 | 1.9% | +45.5% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -92.8% |
| 1986 | -0.1% | -169.2% |
| 1987 | 1.5% | -1691.5% |
| 1988 | 2.5% | +68.8% |
| 1989 | 2.9% | +15.7% |
| 1990 | 3.9% | +32.5% |
| 1991 | 2.8% | -26.8% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -15.8% |
| 1994 | 3.1% | +24.0% |
| 1995 | 3.0% | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 4.1% | +33.8% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | -17.4% |
| 1998 | 3.4% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -76.5% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | +116.7% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | +55.7% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -66.2% |
| 2003 | -1.5% | -261.6% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | -184.9% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | +87.8% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | +33.1% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | +33.1% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | +27.7% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | -43.3% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -41.3% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | +17.7% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | +17.7% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -34.0% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -19.8% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +9.4% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -93.2% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +430.2% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +143.6% |
| 2020 | -0.3% | -127.3% |
| 2021 | -4.2% | +1237.1% |
| 2022 | 3.3% | -179.3% |
| 2023 | 4.9% | +46.8% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | -58.9% |
| 2025 | 1.2% | -38.7% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 1.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%, 1.9× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 1.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%, 1.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth (annual %) in Singapore changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +1691.5% | -0.1% | 1.5% |
| 2021 | -1237.1% | -0.3% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | +430.2% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| 1981 | +278.8% | 1.3% | 4.8% |
| 2003 | -261.6% | 0.9% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.4% | 1.5% | 3.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | -0.1% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 0.8% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | -1.5% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 0.1% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | -4.2% | 4.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
More climate change data for Singapore
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 42,295 kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 22.49 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 19.69 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.8 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0743 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0999 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.2385 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.2385 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 0 kt (1992)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0009 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Singapore?
- Urban population growth in Singapore was 1.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 2008.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was -4.2% in 2021.
- How does Singapore rank for urban population growth?
- Singapore ranks 114th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.