In 2022, the urban population in Singapore stood at approximately 5.9 million people. Urban population refers to the number of people living in urban conditions.

In 2021, one hundred percent of the population in Singapore were living in urban areas. Comparatively, 24.7 percent of Cambodia's population were living in urban areas in 2021.

Singapore SG: Urban Population Growth data was reported at 0.089 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.297 % for 2016. Singapore SG: Urban Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.988 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.357 % in 1960 and a record low of -1.475 % in 2003. Singapore SG: Urban Population Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

Singapore SG: Urban Population data was reported at 5,612,253.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,607,283.000 Person for 2016. Singapore SG: Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 2,888,504.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,612,253.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 1,646,400.000 Person in 1960. Singapore SG: Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Sum;

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Cities can be tremendously efficient. It is easier to provide water and sanitation to people living closer together, while access to health, education, and other social and cultural services is also much more readily available. However, as cities grow, the cost of meeting basic needs increases, as does the strain on the environment and natural resources. Data on urbanization, traffic and congestion, and air pollution are from the United Nations Population Division, World Health Organization, International Road Federation, World Resources Institute, and other sources.

Macao, Singapore, and Hong Kong all had completely urban populations in 2023, with one hundred percent of the respective territory's populations living in urban areas. Contrastingly, just around 13.7 percent of Papua New Guinea’s population were living in urban areas in 2023. APAC’s rural population Despite the increasing development of new industries across the Asia-Pacific region, many countries across the region still had predominantly rural populations. However, with the agriculture sector displaying little growth throughout the Asia Pacific region, the rural populations throughout the region have also experienced little growth or have even declined. This was likely due to citizens migrating from rural to urban areas. Growing urbanization  With the emergence of new economies and an increasing focus on industrialization throughout the Asia Pacific region, citizens have flocked to the cities and urban areas in hopes of better employment and salary opportunities. The migration of citizens has naturally resulted in bigger urban populations and has catalyzed the emergence of megacities throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Urbanization is expected to grow throughout the coming years, with urban populations in the ASEAN region forecasted to grow by 2025.

Singapore SG: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 100.000 % in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 100.000 % for 2016. Singapore SG: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 99.551 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 % in 2017 and a record low of 95.015 % in 1998. Singapore SG: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

This raster layer contains urban land use and land cover data for Singapore, Singapore in 1990. Categories of urban land use represented in these data include: urban, nonurban, water and other. Urban land cover, or urban extent, is typically measured by the total built-up area (or impervious surface) of cities, sometimes including the open spaces captured by their built-up areas and the open spaces on the urban fringe affected by urban development. Urban land is occupied by urban uses that include all land in residential, commercial, industrial, and office use; land used for transport, parks, and public facilities; protected land, and vacant land. Land in urban use does not include cultivated lands, pasture lands, forests, farms and villages, intercity roads, and nature areas. These data are part of the Atlas of Urban Expansion.

In 2024, the population density of Singapore was 8,207 people per square kilometers. The population of Singapore had been increasing over the years within a very limited space, posing challenges such as housing shortages and land scarcity. Limited land, expanding population With an urban population of around 5.69 million people in 2020 and a land area of approximately 720 square kilometers, Singapore was the third most densely populated territory in the world. This was not expected to ease in the near future, with the population of Singapore estimated to grow to 6.52 million people in 2035. While this might not come close to the population size of other Asian metropolises such as Tokyo or Bangkok, the lack of land available for development poses a great challenge to the island city-state. Since its independence in 1965, Singapore has increased its land area from 581.5 square kilometers to its current size through land reclamation. However, Singapore’s proximity to Malaysia and the Riau Islands in Indonesia effectively limit the available area for reclamation to its maritime borders. The importance of urban planning Urban planning in Singapore must therefore make effective use of what little land is available without compromising livability. Most residents live in apartments situated in high-rise buildings, with a large majority of the population living in public housing provided by the Housing Development Board. Rooftop gardens, tree-lined roads and green innovations such as vertical farming and “breathing walls” help soften the presence of all that glass and concrete, earning Singapore its moniker of “Garden City”. Whether and how well Singapore can sustain the quality of life that its residents are used to with an ever-increasing population density in the next twenty years is, however, to be seen.

100.0 (%) in 2024. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.

In 2023, Singapore reported the biggest urban population growth in the Asia-Pacific region, at around 4.9 percent. Comparatively, the urban population in Japan shrank by approximately 0.4 percent that year.

Singapore SG: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data was reported at 100.000 % in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 100.000 % for 2016. Singapore SG: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 99.551 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 % in 2017 and a record low of 95.015 % in 1998. Singapore SG: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

This statistic shows the degree of urbanization in the ASEAN countries in Asia from 2013 to 2023. Urbanization is defined as the share of urban population in the total population. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2023, 25.57 percent of the total population of Cambodia lived in urban areas.

Data used in the publication;Gaw LYF, Richards DR. 2020. Development of spontaneous vegetation on reclaimed land in Singapore measured by NDVI. PLOS One (accepted).StackNDVI: LANDSAT images of Singapore from 1988 to 2015 download form Google Earth Engine.StackLand: JRC Yearly Water Classification os Singapore from 1988 to 2015 download form Google Earth Engine.Code_GEE: Code used in Google Earth Engine to download the two above-mentioned datasets from Google Earth Engine.

The urban indicators data available here are analyzed, compiled and published by UN-Habitat’s Global Urban Observatory which supports governments, local authorities and civil society organizations to develop urban indicators, data and statistics. Urban statistics are collected through household surveys and censuses conducted by national statistics authorities. Global Urban Observatory team analyses and compiles urban indicators statistics from surveys and censuses. Additionally, Local urban observatories collect, compile and analyze urban data for national policy development. Population statistics are produced by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Urbanization Prospects.

Dataset from Urban Redevelopment Authority. For more information, visit https://data.gov.sg/datasets/d_4765db0e87b9c86336792efe8a1f7a66/view

Singapore SG: Rural Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 0.000 % in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 2016. Singapore SG: Rural Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. Singapore SG: Rural Population: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal covering the following topics which also exist as individual datasets on HDX: Agriculture and Rural Development, Aid Effectiveness, Economy and Growth, Education, Energy and Mining, Environment, Financial Sector, Health, Infrastructure, Social Protection and Labor, Private Sector, Public Sector, Science and Technology, Social Development, Urban Development, Gender, Climate Change, External Debt, Trade.

Indicative polygon of region boundary.

To facilitate urban planning, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) divides Singapore into regions, planning areas and subzones.

Each region has a population size of more than 500,000 people and provide a mix of residential, commercial, business and recreational areas. Each region will be served by a Regional Centre to complement the activities in the Central Business District.

The Master Plan is a forward looking guiding plan for Singapore's development in the medium term over the next 10 to 15 years and the planning boundaries may not coincide with existing developments for some areas.

Singapore SG: Population: as % of Total: Male: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 72.451 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 72.828 % for 2016. Singapore SG: Population: as % of Total: Male: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 71.045 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 73.965 % in 2011 and a record low of 54.271 % in 1964. Singapore SG: Population: as % of Total: Male: Aged 15-64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population between the ages 15 to 64 as a percentage of the total male population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;