CENSUS OF POPULATION 2020

Literacy & Home Language

Literacy rate remained high and most are literate in more than one language.

LITERACY RATE MULTI-LANGUAGE LITERACY

The literacy rate among the resident population Multi-language literacy became more prevalent. Among
aged 15 and over remained high at 97.1 per cent those who were literate, more could read in two or more
in 2020. languages.

95.9% 2010 4.1% 97.1% 2020 2.9% 70.5% 2010 29.5% 74.3% 2020 25.7%

Literate in Literate in
NEWS
Literate Not Literate 2 or more languages 1 language

LANGUAGE MOST/SECOND MOST FREQUENTLY SPOKEN AT HOME

The use of English as the language most frequently Among those who spoke English most frequently at
spoken at home among resident population aged 5 home, a majority of them also spoke a mother tongue
and over increased to 48.3 per cent in 2020. language or dialect as a secondary language.

2010 2020
2.6%
2.3% Others 1.4% Other Indian 2.3%
Languages Others
3.3% Tamil 2.5% 13.2%
12.2% Malay 9.2% 5.1% No Second
Tamil Language
Chinese
14.3% 8.7%
Dialects 13.5%
Malay
35.6% Mandarin 29.9%
Secondary
Language
7.2%
Chinese
Dialects 56.1%
32.3% English 48.3% Mandarin

For more information, please refer to the Census of Population 2020 publication.
 CENSUS OF POPULATION 2020

Religion
Singapore remained multi-religious in 2020.

Over the last 10 years, Singapore continued to be religiously diverse.

33.3% 10.9% 18.3% 14.7% 5.1% 0.7% 17.0%

2010

Other No
Buddhism Taoism* Christianity Islam Hinduism
Religions Religion

2020
31.1% 8.8% 18.9% 15.6% 5.0% 0.6% 20.0%
*Includes Chinese Traditional Beliefs.

PROPORTION OF RESIDENTS WITH NO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION BY AGE GROUP

Higher proportion of residents reported no religious affiliation across all age groups.

26.2%
24.2% 22.3%
21.0% 19.9%
18.0% 18.3%
14.6% 15.2%
13.4%

2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020
15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55
Years Years Years Years Years & over

For more information, please refer to the Census of Population 2020 publication.
 CENSUS OF POPULATION 2020

Married Couples

In 2020, majority of married couples were dual-career couples.

The proportion increased over the past 10 years.

47.1% 32.6% 5.8% 14.5%

2010

Both Husband & Only Husband Only Wife Both Husband & Wife
Wife Employed Employed Employed Not Employed

2020
52.5% 24.9% 7.4% 15.2%

ACROSS ALL AGE GROUPS,

Proportion of dual-career couples Proportion of non-employed couples

increased. decreased.

2010 2020 Age Group of Couple* 2010 2020

70.8% Below 35 1.5%

78.3% Years 1.2%

60.1% 35-49 2.1%

72.3% Years 1.2%

40.8% 50-64 12.3%

51.9% Years 7.8%

7.6% 65 66.3%
17.8% Years & over 49.4%

*For married couples where the husband and wife are not in the same age group, it refers to the age group of the older party.

For more information, please refer to the Census of Population 2020 publication.
 CENSUS OF POPULATION 2020

Geographical Distribution & Transport

With a total population of 5.69 million in 2020, there was an average of
7,810 persons per square kilometer in Singapore.

Punggol
Outram had the highest proportion of
9.3%
residents aged 65 years and over.

Outram
Punggol had the highest proportion of
25.5%
residents aged below 5 years.

Top 3 Areas Where Residents Work Main Mode of Transport for Students

Among all employed residents aged 15 years and over 2010 2020
with a fixed location for work, Downtown Core,
Primary and Below: No Transport Required 46.2% 43.0%
Queenstown and Geylang were the top 3 areas where
employed residents travelled to for work. Secondary: Public Bus Only 42.1% 36.9%

Post-Secondary(Non-Tertiary):
Geylang MRT/LRT & Public Bus Only 29.4% 44.2%
Queenstown 116,500
131,800 Polytechnic Diploma:
MRT/LRT & Public Bus Only 34.6% 49.7%
3
2
1
Downtown Core
Professional Qualification and
284,000 38.3% 48.9%
Other Diploma: MRT/LRT & Public Bus Only

University: MRT/LRT & Public Bus Only 43.7% 51.1%

Mode of Transport & Median Travelling Time for Employed Residents

The use of combinations of MRT/LRT or public 2010 2020

Median Travelling Time
bus to work increased to 57.7% in 2020.
Combinations of MRT/ Combinations of MRT/ Combinations of MRT/LRT or Public Bus 45 | 45 min
LRT or Public Bus LRT or Public Bus
7.5% 54.6 % 57.7 % Public Bus Only 30 | 37 min
9.8%

11.8% 19.3% 15.0% MRT/LRT Only 40 | 45 min

8.4%

MRT/LRT & Public Bus Only 50 | 60 min

13.2%
2010 11.6%
2020 Other Combinations 45 | 60 min

Car/Taxi/Private Hire Car Only 30 | 30 min

17.7% 24.1% 25.7%
26.1% Other Modes 30 | 30 min
Other Combinations Other Combinations
6.1% 3.9% No Transport Required 10 | 08 min

For more information, please refer to the Census of Population 2020 publication.
 CENSUS OF POPULATION 2020

Difficulty Performing Basic Activities*

*Basic activities refer to seeing, hearing, mobility (walking or climbing steps), remembering or concentrating,
self-care (washing all over or dressing), and communicating (understanding or being understood).
Data on difficulty performing basic activities were captured for the first time in Census 2020.

Residents Unable to Perform / with A Lot of Difficulty in At Least One Basic Activity
Residents with a lot of difficulty** performing activities relating to mobility constituted the largest group, followed by self-care.

2.5%
97,600
1.6%
62,500 0.8% 0.7%
32,100 28,000
0.5% 0.5% 0.5%
20,800 20,000 18,800

Total Mobility Self-Care Remembering Hearing Seeing Communicating

By Age and Sex By Elderly Living Arrangement #

Elderly faced more difficulty performing basic activities. Majority of elderly with a lot of difficulty** lived with other people.
Unable to Perform / with A Lot of Difficulty Unable to Perform / with A Lot of Difficulty
in At Least One Basic Activity in At Least One Basic Activity
Males Females 6.4% 10.5% 16.4%
0.7% Below 25 0.4%
Years
42.2% 24.5%
0.5% 25-44 0.4%
Years

1.6% 45-64 1.5% Living with

Spouse,
Living with
Spouse,
Living with
Children but
Years
No Children With Children Without Spouse

9.3% 65 Years 12.9% Alone Others

& over
#
Resident Population Aged 65 Years and Over in Resident Households.

By Dwelling Type By Labour Force Participation Rate

Proportionately more residents with a lot of difficulty** Proportionately fewer residents with a lot of difficulty**
lived in HDB 3-room or smaller flats. were in the labour force.
Without A Lot of Unable to Perform /
Difficulty in Performing with A Lot of Difficulty in 76.5%
Any Basic Activity At Least One Basic Activity 69.3%
4.2% HDB 1- & 2-Room ^ 10.7%
14.3% HDB 3-Room 22.7%
31.2% 32.8%
33.1% HDB 4-Room 33.1%
HDB 5-Room 11.4%
26.6% & Executive 21.2% 4.1%
Condominiums &
15.3% Other Apartments 6.0%
Total 15-64 65
Years Years & over
6.3% Landed Properties 6.1%
Without A Lot of Difficulty in Performing Any Basic Activity
0.2% Others ^^ 0.2% Unable to Perform / with A Lot of Difficulty in At Least One
Basic Activity
^ Includes HDB studio apartments.
^^ Refers to other types of dwelling not shown e.g. non-HDB shophouses, etc.
** Includes those unable to perform at least one basic activity.

For more information, please refer to the Census of Population 2020 publication.