Singapore's population grew by 3.4 per cent to touch 5.64 million as of June this year, after witnessing two straight years of decline due to the pandemic, according to an annual report issued by the National Population and Talent Division on Tuesday.
The number of citizens rose by 1.6 per cent to 3.55 million in June this year, while the non-resident population grew by 6.6 per cent during the same period, due to the easing of travel restrictions and the government's move to attract talented workforce from overseas.
Nevertheless, it still remained below the pre-COVID levels of 1.68 million in June 2019.
The largest increase was seen for work permit holders in the construction and marine shipyard sectors, which typically employ a large number of South Asian migrant workers including those from India, Channel News Asia reported, citing the report.
Despite the growth, the total population in Singapore remained slightly lower than the pre-COVID level of 5.7 million as of June 2019, the report said.