Population density in Singapore
Singapore: Population density was 8,242 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
8,242 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
3rd
of 215 countries
All-time high
8,242 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
2,541 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in Singapore, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in Singapore is 8,242 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.0% on the previous year and up 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Singapore peaked at 8,242 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,541 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
Singapore ranks 3rd of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in Singapore, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,541 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 2,612 people per sq. km of land area | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 2,679 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 2,749 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1965 | 2,816 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1966 | 2,887 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 2,952 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 3,003 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 3,049 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 3,096 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 3,154 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 3,213 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 3,273 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 3,328 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 3,377 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 3,423 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 3,471 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 3,513 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 3,557 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 3,603 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 3,780 people per sq. km of land area | +4.9% |
| 1982 | 3,950 people per sq. km of land area | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 4,002 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 4,078 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 4,084 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 4,080 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 4,141 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 4,248 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 4,374 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 4,548 people per sq. km of land area | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 4,679 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 4,822 people per sq. km of land area | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 4,945 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 5,103 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 5,260 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 5,479 people per sq. km of land area | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 5,666 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 5,862 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 5,909 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 6,012 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 6,176 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 6,187 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 5,990 people per sq. km of land area | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 6,047 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 6,191 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 6,342 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 6,602 people per sq. km of land area | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 6,913 people per sq. km of land area | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 7,125 people per sq. km of land area | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 7,232 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 7,363 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 7,525 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 7,637 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 7,715 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 7,807 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 7,909 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 7,882 people per sq. km of land area | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 7,897 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 7,966 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 7,919 people per sq. km of land area | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 7,596 people per sq. km of land area | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 7,851 people per sq. km of land area | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 8,242 people per sq. km of land area | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,810 people per sq. km of land area | 2,541 people per sq. km of land area | 3,049 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 3,340 people per sq. km of land area | 3,096 people per sq. km of land area | 3,557 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 4,034 people per sq. km of land area | 3,603 people per sq. km of land area | 4,374 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 5,227 people per sq. km of land area | 4,548 people per sq. km of land area | 5,909 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,359 people per sq. km of land area | 5,990 people per sq. km of land area | 7,125 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 7,693 people per sq. km of land area | 7,232 people per sq. km of land area | 7,966 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,902 people per sq. km of land area | 7,596 people per sq. km of land area | 8,242 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 1 Macau, China 20,570 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 2 Monaco 18,693 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 4 Hong Kong, China 7,177 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 5 Gibraltar 3,847 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 6 Bahrain 1,971 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Singapore
- Population in the largest city 100.0% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 15.14 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 1.01 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 6.16 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.6221 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 8,469 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 6.16 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.8 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 23.24 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Singapore?
- Population density in Singapore was 8,242 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 8,242 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,541 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Singapore rank for population density?
- Singapore ranks 3rd out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.