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How does Singapore maintain
its competitiveness in the future?



Embracing openness, advancing infrastructure, and fostering investment,
Singapore pioneers as a visionary hub for global talent and groundbreaking innovation.

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Open Doors: Crafting the Future


Exploring Singapore's evolving immigration policy and its demographic shifts reveals a flexible and forward-thinking approach. Each policy milestone reflects a strategic response to global economic trends & societal demands. We uncover Singapore's progressive policies and their role in shaping a dynamic, diverse, and forward-looking society.

  1. 1960s
  2. 1979
  3. 1990s
  4. 2000s
  5. 2015
  6. 2020-Future

  1. 1960s



    Policy introduction: Implement preliminary foreign labor projects.

    Demographic changes: The population has begun to diversify, attracting regional professionals.

  2. 1979



    Policy amendment: The Employment Law has been amended to add foreign professional visas.

    Demographic change: The introduction of high-skilled labor has promoted the development of the knowledge economy.

  3. 1990s



    Policy expansion: Launch the "Talent Program" to attract overseas talents.

    Demographic changes: A large influx of professionals and technical workers.

  4. 2000s



    Policy adjustment: Implement stricter immigration and labor policies to balance the proportion of local and foreign workers.

    Demographic change: The social and cultural structure is further diversified.

  5. 2015



    Policy optimization: Tighten immigration policy, focusing on the introduction of talents in key industries.

    Demographic change: The introduction of foreign talents is more elite, which is in line with Singapore's economic growth strategy.

  6. 2020-Future



    Policy update: In the context of the global epidemic, immigration policies pay more attention to public health and national security.

    Population change: Singapore has strengthened its attraction to high-quality talents and set a new benchmark on international health standards.


Singapore's open-door policy has greatly propelled the nation's development and prosperity by attracting global talent and investment. Each government policy demonstrates its ability to flexibly respond to global economic trends and societal demands. This has not only stimulated Singapore's economic growth but also enhanced its competitiveness on the international stage. Through these forward-thinking measures, Singapore has successfully created a vibrant, inclusive, and diverse society, ensuring its continued leadership in the global economy of the future.

Demographic Structure Evolution

The number of local and foreign residents has increased steadily, reflecting its status as an international city and the trend of continuous population growth.


  • The policy in attracting and training professionals has become a key means to promote innovation and maintain competitiveness.

  • It accelerated the development of knowledge economy and promoted economic diversification and the growth of domestic employment opportunities.

  • It promoted economic diversification and the growth of domestic employment opportunities.

The Rapid Growth of GDP

From a medium level in 1991 to a leading position in 2021, Singapore's economic growth story highlights the success of its excellent economic management and forward-looking policies. [1990 - 2022 GDP per capita in Asia]


  • The increase in GDP per capita means that more wealth and resources are used for public services, education, health security and infrastructure construction.

  • As a global city, Singapore's great attraction to international talents and investment has brought vitality and innovation ability to its economic development.

Import Values to Singapore by Region (2005-2023)

From 2005 to 2022, Singapore has solidified its status as a key global trade hub, fostering strong international trade ties with major economic powers like the United States and China. Trade volumes with these top partners have consistently increased, underscoring their vital role in Singapore's economy. Singapore's trade policy, marked by openness and adaptability, has enabled diversification across global markets in Europe, Asia, and North America. This strategic approach has bolstered Singapore's economic resilience and global standing, fueling sustained growth and development.


  • International Trade Hub Status: Singapore capitalizes on its strategic geographical position and open economic policies to solidify its status as a key global trading hub.
  • Trade Diversification: Singapore maintains trade relations with a wide array of countries across Asia, Europe, and North America, demonstrating the breadth and diversity of its trade connections.
  • Policy Advantages: Singapore’s trade policies and economic strategies generate sustained trade surpluses and economic benefits for the nation.
  • Future Outlook: As the global economic landscape evolves, Singapore continually updates its trade strategies and policies to adapt to international market fluctuations, ensuring long-term stability and growth of its economy.

Infrastructure: Pathways to Tomorrow


Infrastructure is crucial for a country's future competitiveness, impacting economic efficiency, market access, residents' quality of life, and attractiveness to foreign investments. The Singapore government invests heavily in infrastructure every year to create a reliable and efficient investment environment.

Interactive transportation timeline

The visualisation is an Interactive Timeline with Map of Changi Airport, MRT, and LRT Development in Singapore. Through this visualisation, we could find that the Singaporean government has given a great importance to the development of the airport and rail transport infrastructure. In relation to the overall theme, the Singaporean government continues to create an efficient and convenient travelling environment to attract talent and investment through the development of transport infrastructure.

Government investment expenditures in Singapore

The chart is an interactive line graph reflecting Singapore government's investment expenditure across different sectors from 1997 to 2022. It provides a visual representation of the government's investment expenditure comparison between different sectors and different years within the same sector. It also offers insights into how Singapore maintains its high competitiveness. Overall, from 1997 to 2022, there is an upward trend in Singapore government's investment across various sectors.


  • Infrastructure investment is a key aspect of maintaining competitiveness: The Singapore government invests in multiple sectors including infrastructure, economic development, transportation, social development, trade and industry, as well as culture, community, and youth, showing a growing trend and highlighting its commitment to multifaceted growth.
  • Sustaining Singapore's Competitiveness Through Investments: They support economic growth, innovation, social welfare enhancement, and international trade and industrial development..

Connected to the overall theme, the Singapore government's total expenditure on transport and sectors related to national development has increased over the years in order to create a reliable living and business environment for the government to remain competitive in the future market.


Singapore's Nighttime Light Satellite Imagery from 1992 to 2020


Has the significant attention and financial investment that the Singapore government puts into infrastructure and national development every year contributed to the country's economic and urban development?

Yes! Generally, Singapore's economy and urban areas had been continuously developing from 1992 to 2020. (Changes in satellite images of nighttime lights over the years could reveal the economic development of a region, with lighter colours showing a more developed economy.)

Try the Interactive Animation

Encourage Innovation: Government Leading the Way


The government, through policy support and substantial resource investment, drives technological advancement and economic development, providing an excellent environment and broad opportunities for innovative enterprises.



Although Singapore has not dominated the total number of global patent applications in the past decade, careful analysis of the data of per capita patent applications reveals different stories. Although the total number is not at the forefront, Singapore's per capita number of patent applications shows that it occupies a leading position in global innovation activities. This can be clearly seen from the per capita analysis part of the chart.


  • Government Support for Infrastructure: The government actively supports the construction of scientific and technological innovation infrastructure, providing a conducive hardware environment for research activities.
  • Encouragement of Research Activities: Through financial aid and preferential policies, the government incentivizes enterprises and individuals to engage in scientific research activities, fostering innovation and research investment.
  • Education System Cultivating Tech Talent: Singapore's education system is dedicated to nurturing talent in the field of science and technology, ensuring a human resource guarantee for ongoing innovation efforts.

Challenge


Although Singapore has demonstrated remarkable excellence across various domains and its economy has rapidly surged over the past few decades, showcasing immense potential, significant challenges have also emerged. These include issues such as population aging, high housing prices, and soaring living costs. Here, we will focus on analyzing the population aging issue.

Population Age Structure Evolution from 1957 to 2023

The population age structure data from Singapore between 1957 and 2023 clearly illustrates a significant trend towards an aging populace. This demographic shift presents multifaceted challenges including increased economic burdens, heightened healthcare demands, shifts in the labor market, and new demands for social services.


  • Increased Economic Dependency Ratio: As the proportion of the population aged 65 and over increases, the economic dependency ratio rises, indicating that a larger number of retirees will depend economically on the working-age population.
  • Increased Demand for Healthcare: Aging leads to a higher incidence of age-related diseases, which in turn escalates the demand for healthcare services.
  • Labor Market Shifts: An aging population may lead to a contraction of the labor market. If not compensated by increased labor force participation among the elderly and other demographic groups, adjustments in employment policies may be necessary.
  • Increased Demand for Social Services: With the rise in the elderly population, the demand for age-friendly social services and infrastructure also increases.
  • Pension System Strain: Extended life expectancy places increased pressure on pension systems, necessitating the assurance of financial sustainability while providing adequate support to retirees.
  • Future Outlook: As the global economic landscape evolves, Singapore continually updates its trade strategies and policies to adapt to international market fluctuations, ensuring long-term stability and growth of its economy.

WORLD-CLASS INNOVATION:


Singapore is not only a vibrant business center, but also a hot land for innovation. There is a strong culture of invention and innovation here, and global enterprises and local start-ups often cooperate to launch new projects.

  • Global business cooperation: Singapore's culture of invention and innovation promotes the close cooperation between global enterprises and local start-ups.
  • International pilot projects: Multinational companies such as Amazon and IBM pilot innovation projects in Singapore, reflecting their role as an innovation center.
  • Innovation Ranking: The 2017 Global Innovation Index selected Singapore as the most innovative country in Asia, and the Bloomberg Innovation Index ranked sixth in the world.

MODERN IT INFRASTRUCTURE: LIGHTNING-FAST


Singapore's plug-and-play business environment provides a platform for technology companies to develop rapidly. Enterprises can immediately access the international advanced IT infrastructure, which is part of Singapore's strong digital support system.

  • Plug-and-play business environment: Singapore provides conditions for technology companies to start and expand quickly.
  • Leading digital infrastructure: Singapore ranks first in digital infrastructure in the Asian Digital Transformation Index.
  • Convenient technical testing and deployment: The company can easily test and deploy new technologies.

RIGOROUS IP PROTECTION:


In Singapore, scientific and technological innovation has been strictly protected by intellectual property rights. The intellectual property laws and regulations here are strict and the implementation is strong, which ensures the safety of the company's R&D investment.

  • Intellectual property regulations: Singapore has a strict intellectual property legal system.
  • Efficient legal enforcement: Intellectual property laws are properly enforced to ensure the safety of R&D investment.
  • International leading level of protection: Singapore ranks fourth in the world in intellectual property protection and first in Asia.

DEEP, HIGHLY SKILLED TALENT POOL:


Technology can only make you go so far; if you want to build a successful enterprise, it is the people you hire who really work.

  • Education and skills: Singapore has the most well-educated and highly skilled talent pool in Asia
  • Global Talent Competitiveness: Singapore ranks second globally in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index.
  • Cultural and linguistic advantages: diversified population, popular English, open culture, easy integration of Western talents.

Team

Yongliao Wei

Xinyan Gao

Jinting Ji