Singapore's
population will swell to 6 million by 2020. (AFP file photo)
Foreigners could make up
nearly half of Singapore's population by 2030, the government said
Tuesday as it unveiled its politically sensitive projection for a
city of up to seven million boosted by young immigrants.
In a white
(policy) paper on population, the government said Singaporeans'
flagging birth rates -- which have been below replacement levels
for more than three decades -- necessitated immigration into the
prosperous Southeast Asian nation.
The paper,
released by the National Population and Talent Division, said the
total population could range between 6.5 and 6.9 million by
2030.
Foreigners would
make up nearly half the population by then, with the proportion of
Singaporean citizens projected to fall to 55 percent, from 62
percent as of June 2012 when the population was 5.31 million.
The projection
sparked furious online reactions from citizens, with some saying it
was time to emigrate.
"This white paper
from the government is a betrayal to local born Singaporean(s),"
posted Mc Lee on the website of the Straits Times.
"It's hard to call
a place home when you got no space & getting out & about is
a constant death match," stated keenlen on Twitter.
"I guess migration
plans for Singaporeans should begin soon. Singapore is slowly
losing its nationality," Shane Goh tweeted.
Singapore's total
fertility rate (TFR) of 1.20 children per woman last year is far
below the 2.1 needed to sustain the native population, and has been
so for more than three decades.
"We do not expect
our TFR to improve to the replacement rate of 2.1 in the short
term," the paper said.
"Taking in younger
immigrants will help us top up the smaller cohorts of younger
Singaporeans, and balance the ageing of our citizen population," it
added.
"To stop our
citizen population from shrinking, we will take in between 15,000
and 25,000 new citizens each year," it stated, adding that the
immigration rate would be reviewed "from time to time".
Immigration has
been a politically sensitive issue for the government, which has in
recent years widened the door for foreigners to sustain the
economy.
But their numbers
were reduced following a social backlash, with foreigners blamed
for problems including overcrowding, straining public services and
driving up housing costs.
The study said the
government would take steps such as expanding transport networks
and building more public housing to support the increase in
population.
Singapore this
month also announced increased cash bonuses for parents of newborn
babies and introduced paternity leave as part of a package of
measures to boost the local population.
