The Human Truth Foundation

Singapore (Republic of Singapore)

https://www.humantruth.info/singapore.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#singapore

Singapore
Republic of Singapore
Flag
StatusIndependent State
Social and Moral Index40th best
CapitalSingapore
Land Area 700km21
LocationAsia
GroupingsSmall Islands
Population5.8m2
Life Expectancy82.75yrs (2017)3
GNI$90 919 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 CodesSG, SGP, 7025
Internet Domain.sg6
CurrencyDollar (SGD)7
Telephone+658

1. Overview

Singapore is a small city-state, dwarfed by its large neighbours.

Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)9

Book CoverThis perennial stopover city is constantly reinventing itself as a destination in its own right, jostling for the position of top dog among Asia´s - even the world's - best cities. One of Asia´s success stories, tiny little Singapore's GDP consistently ranks it as one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Along with that wealth comes a rich culture borne of a multiracial population. Get lost in the mad swirl of skyscrapers in the central business district (CBD), be transfixed by the Bolly beats in the streets of ramshackle Little India, hike a dense patch of rainforest in Bukit Timah, or just give yourself up to the air-conditioned retail mayhem of Orchard Rd. There´s something for everyone here.

It's affluent, high tech and occasionally a little snobbish, but Singapore's great leveller is the hawker centre, the ubiquitous and raucous food markets where everyone mucks in together to indulge the local mania for cheap eating and drinking. In short, Singapore makes for a perfect pit stop to recover from the rough-and-tumble of the rest of Southeast Asia.

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)10

2. Singapore National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
Value11
1Switzerland0.962
2Norway0.961
3Iceland0.959
...
9Germany0.942
10Netherlands0.941
11Finland0.940
12Singapore0.939
13=Belgium0.937
13=New Zealand0.937
15Canada0.936
16Liechtenstein0.935
Asia Avg0.75
World Avg0.72
q=191.
Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
PPP $11
1Liechtenstein$146 830
2Singapore$90 919
3Qatar$87 134
4Luxembourg$84 649
5Ireland$76 169
6Switzerland$66 933
7USA$64 765
8Norway$64 660
9Brunei$64 490
10Hong Kong$62 607
11UAE$62 574
12Denmark$60 365
Asia Avg$22 215
World Avg$20 136
q=193.
Social & Moral
Development Index
12
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank12
1Denmark27.0
2Norway29.9
3Sweden31.8
...
37Monaco59.0
38Latvia59.2
39Slovakia59.6
40Singapore60.4
41Lithuania60.7
42Croatia61.8
43Mauritius62.6
44Romania65.7
Asia Avg92.0
World Avg88.6
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Singapore's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

Singapore's population is predicted to rise to 5.978 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.04. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.13

Population2
Pos.2018
Population2
1China1.4b
2India1.4b
3USA327.1m
...
110El Salvador6.4m
111Kyrgyzstan6.3m
112Turkmenistan5.9m
113Singapore5.8m
114Denmark5.8m
115Finland5.5m
116Slovakia5.5m
117Norway5.3m
World Avg39.0m
q=195.
Life Expectancy
Higher is better
11
Pos.2021
Years11
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
...
10Spain83.0
11Sweden83.0
12Italy82.9
13Singapore82.8
14Iceland82.7
15Canada82.7
16Luxembourg82.6
17France82.5
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Fertility Rate
2.0 is best
14
Pos.202214
1US Virgin Islands2.00
2Ecuador2.00
3Nepal2.01
...
143Malta1.15
144Egypt2.88
145Israel2.89
146Singapore1.04
147Lesotho2.98
148British Virgin Islands1.02
149Timor-Leste (E. Timor)3.05
150Kazakhstan3.05
World Avg2.47
q=208.
Old-Age Dependency Ratio
Lower is better
15
Pos.2016
Per 10015
1Uganda04.3
2Mali04.5
3=Chad04.7
...
158Czechia36.1
159Cuba36.2
160Poland36.3
161Singapore36.5
162Latvia36.7
163=Sweden37.0
163=Bulgaria37.0
165Denmark37.1
World Avg18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants16
Pos.2017
%16
1UAE88.4%
2Kuwait75.5%
3Qatar65.2%
4Liechtenstein65.1%
5Monaco54.9%
6Andorra53.3%
7Bahrain48.4%
8Singapore46.0%
9Luxembourg45.3%
10Oman44.7%
11Hong Kong39.1%
12Saudi Arabia37.0%
World Avg9.4%
q=195.
Emigrants17
Pos.2010
%17
1Dominica104.8%
2Palestine68.4%
3Samoa67.3%
...
92Bhutan6.3%
93Tunisia6.3%
94Finland6.2%
95Singapore6.1%
96Guatemala6.1%
97Brunei6.0%
98Netherlands6.0%
99Italy5.8%
World Avg11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #singapore #singapore_gender #tolerance #women

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank18
1Sweden6.1
2Denmark8.6
3Norway9.0
...
92Guatemala81.5
93Nauru82.3
94Northern Cyprus82.3
95Singapore83.1
96Senegal84.7
97Grenada86.1
Asia Avg103.00
World Avg86.55
q=199.
Singapore does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Singapore comes in the best 20 in terms of opposing gender inequality19 (amongst the lowest in Asia) and in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice20. It does better than average for the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)21 (amongst the lowest in Asia), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms22, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports23 and in eliminating modern slavery24. But, there's bad news too. Singapore does worse than average in terms of freethought25 (still low for Asia), its average Freedom in the World rating (still good for Asia), supporting press freedom26 (still high for Asia) and in LGBT equality27. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 in its nominal commitment to Human Rights28 (one of the lowest in Asia). Foreign domestic workers are excluded key labor protections such working hours limits29. Singapore has draconian restrictions on what constitutes an 'assembly' and the law is so widely defined that the government can decide on a whim to ban gatherings or protests (including those involving just an individual person), and permits are often denied for political purposes29.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

5. Singapore's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #singapore #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to Asia (2025)30
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank30
1=Japan44.1
2Hong Kong48.2
3Singapore49.5
4N. Korea52.9
5Sri Lanka54.3
6S. Korea55.4
7Malaysia58.6
8Brunei61.4
9Cyprus63.1
10=Kuwait66.8
10=China66.8
12Bahrain69.3
13Israel70.2
Asia Avg80.90
q=50.
Health (2025)30
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank30
1Monaco14.3
2Liechtenstein30.1
3Isle of Man32.1
...
14Hong Kong48.2
15Switzerland48.5
16Australia49.3
17Singapore49.5
18Curaço49.7
19Aruba49.9
20Netherlands50.2
21Belgium50.7
World Avg96.74
q=212.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man31. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Angola and Nigeria31.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans31, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia31.

For more, see:

Health:

Singapore does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Singapore comes in the best 20 when it comes to its adolescent birth rate32 and in its average life expectancy11. It does better than average in its alcohol consumption rate33, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance34 and in its immunizations take-up35. Singapore does not succeed in everything, however. Singapore does worse than average in terms of its suicide rate36, its smoking rate37 (still good for Asia) and in its fertility rate14. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Singapore improved its life expectancy by +8.8yrs in the 30 years from 1990, just over the global average improvement of +7.9yrs. In the 2010s, its life expectancy was amongst the top 10 in the world. Singapore's peak fertility rate was 5.76 in 1960.

Life Expectancy
Higher is better
11
Pos.2021
Years11
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
...
10Spain83.0
11Sweden83.0
12Italy82.9
13Singapore82.8
14Iceland82.7
15Canada82.7
16Luxembourg82.6
17France82.5
Asia Avg73.48
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Alcohol Consumption
Lower is better
33
Pos.2016
Per Capita33
1Bangladesh0.0
2Kuwait0.0
3Libya0.0
...
41=Bahrain1.9
42Qatar2.0
43=Nepal2.0
43=Singapore2.0
43=Turkey2.0
46Timor-Leste (E. Timor)2.1
47Mozambique2.4
48=Samoa2.5
Asia Avg3.9
World Avg6.2
q=189.
Fertility Rate
2.0 is best
14
Pos.202214
1US Virgin Islands2.00
2Ecuador2.00
3Nepal2.01
...
143Malta1.15
144Egypt2.88
145Israel2.89
146Singapore1.04
147Lesotho2.98
148British Virgin Islands1.02
149Timor-Leste (E. Timor)3.05
150Kazakhstan3.05
Asia Avg2.17
World Avg2.47
q=208.
Smoking Rates
Lower is better
37
Pos.201437
1Guinea 15
2Solomon Islands 26
3Kiribati 28
...
98Fiji 618
99Cambodia 645
100Equatorial Guinea 649
101Singapore 652
102Bangladesh 665
103Morocco 671
104New Zealand 680
105Kyrgyzstan 68338
Asia Avg1 035
World Avg 819
q=182.
Suicide Rate36
Pos.2013
Per 100k36
1Haiti0
2Grenada0
3Egypt0.1
...
47Netherlands18.6
48Luxembourg19.3
49Portugal19.6
50Singapore20.6
51India20.8
52Trinidad & Tobago21.7
53USA22.2
54Chile22.4
Asia Avg19.50
World Avg20.93
q=91.
Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Sweden1
2Ireland2
3Denmark3
...
46Malaysia46
47Czechia47
48China48
49Singapore49
50Ecuador50
51Israel51
52Slovakia52
53Bulgaria53
Asia Avg64.4
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Overweight Adults
Lower is better
39
Pos.2016
%39
1Vietnam18.3
2India19.7
3Bangladesh20.0
...
47=Congo, (Brazzaville)30.9
47=Liberia30.9
49Ivory Coast31.6
50Singapore31.8
51Gambia31.9
52Ghana32.0
53=China32.3
53=Mauritius32.3
Asia Avg44.3
World Avg49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate
Lower is better
32
Pos.2022
Per 100032
1Hong Kong1.6
2Denmark1.8
3S. Korea2.1
4Norway2.2
5Switzerland2.2
6N. Korea2.4
7Singapore2.5
8Netherlands2.7
9Japan2.8
10UAE2.8
11Liechtenstein3.0
12Sweden3.3
Asia Avg25.9
World Avg43.8
q=195.
Infant Immunizations 2011-2015
Higher is better
35
Pos.2015
Avg %35
1=Hungary99.0
1=China99.0
3Uzbekistan98.9
...
71Algeria95.0
72Tuvalu94.9
73Eritrea94.7
74Singapore94.6
75UK94.6
76Solomon Islands94.5
77Norway94.3
78Bolivia94.2
Asia Avg90.5
World Avg88.3
q=194.

In the 1990s, Singapore was amongst the 10 countries with the lowest adolescent birth rate. The same during the 2010s.

6. Singapore's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #germany #iceland #internationalism #luxembourg #over-exploitation #singapore #south_korea #sustainability #taiwan #the_environment

Compared to Asia (2025)40
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank40
1Sri Lanka34.9
2Nepal47.9
3India49.5
...
19Syria77.4
20Iran79.0
21UAE81.8
22Singapore83.3
23Georgia83.6
24S. Korea84.0
25Cambodia84.0
26Taiwan86.1
27Malaysia89.5
Asia Avg86.44
q=51.
Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)40
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank40
1Sri Lanka34.9
2Uruguay43.2
3Switzerland45.0
...
96Bolivia81.8
97Slovenia82.1
98Panama82.5
99Singapore83.3
100Georgia83.6
101Sierra Leone83.6
102Guinea-Bissau83.7
103Namibia83.9
World Avg84.93
q=199.

All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

With regard to its responsibility towards the environment, Singapore is 99th in the world. This rank is calculated from 6 data sets. Singapore does better than average in its score on the Green Future Index41, its environmental performance42, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population43 and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. Singapore still has work to do. Singapore does worse than average in its forested percent change 2000-202044. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 for energy to GDP efficiency45.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020
Higher is better
44
Pos.Total44
1Guernsey82.6%
2Bahrain75.2%
3Iceland64.7%
...
184Mauritius-7.5%
185Liberia-7.5%
186Bolivia-7.9%
187Singapore-7.9%
188Guinea-Bissau-8.0%
189Ethiopia-8.0%
190Israel-8.4%
191Haiti-8.8%
Asia Avg3.2%
World Avg-0.1%
q=234.

From 2010 to 2020, Singapore destroyed 12% of its forest cover, falling from 18 thousand hectares to 16. Clearly, this irresponsible activity cannot continue.

Environmental Performance
Higher is better
42
Pos.201842
1Switzerland87.4
2France84.0
3Denmark81.6
...
46Dominican Rep.64.7
47Uruguay64.7
48Estonia64.3
49Singapore64.2
50Poland64.1
51Venezuela63.9
52Russia63.8
53Brunei63.6
Asia Avg54.5
World Avg56.4
q=180.
Energy to GDP Efficiency
Lower is better45
Pos.2022
Avg45
1Rwanda0.25
2Chad0.26
3Tanzania0.31
...
145Kuwait2.02
146Barbados2.04
147Libya2.05
148Singapore2.06
149Lebanon2.06
150Ukraine2.11
151Syria2.12
152Kyrgyzstan2.20
Asia Avg1.50
World Avg1.23
q=165.
In the 1960s, Singapore had the highest rate of primary energy consumption per GDP per capita; it was grossly inefficient. But into the 1970s, it improved this energy-to-GDP efficiency rate more than any other country (by quite a wide margin). It continued to do well into the 1980s (only Luxembourg managed to make greater improvements).
International Accords on the Environment
Higher is better
Pos.Total
Avg Rate
1Sweden83%
2Canada82%
3Norway81%
...
72Egypt63%
73Guyana63%
74Uganda62%
75Singapore62%
76Bolivia62%
77Guinea62%
78Greece62%
79Cameroon62%
Asia Avg55.4%
World Avg57.5%
q=197.
Rational Beliefs on the Environment
Higher is better43
Pos.2011
%43
1Argentina78.3%
2Greece77.6%
3Brazil77.1%
...
58Djibouti42.8%
59Burundi42.0%
60Zambia41.9%
61Singapore41.6%
62Ukraine41.5%
63Jordan41.4%
64India41.2%
65Canada41.2%
Asia Avg37.9%
World Avg39.9%
q=145.
Green Future Index
Higher is better
41
Pos.2023
Score41
1Iceland6.7
2Finland6.7
3Norway6.4
...
29Hungary5.1
30Chile5.1
31Czechia5.0
32Singapore5.0
33Hong Kong4.9
34Colombia4.8
35Slovakia4.8
36UAE4.8
Asia Avg4.3
World Avg4.8
q=76.

The 2023 edition of the Green Futures Index lists Singapore among five countries who are doing the best at recycling, alongside Germany, Iceland, South Korea and Taiwan).46

7. Singapore's Modernity and Learning

#charity #corruption #education #english #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #intelligence #life_expectancy #maths #modernity #morals #peace #politics #qatar #research #science #singapore #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)47
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank47
1S. Korea22.2
2Japan24.7
3Israel29.5
4Hong Kong31.2
5Singapore34.1
6Russia44.3
7Cyprus55.6
8Turkey55.9
9Malaysia59.4
10Kazakhstan59.8
11=Saudi Arabia62.0
12UAE64.3
13Georgia65.6
Asia Avg78.26
q=49.
Modernity & Learning (2020)47
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank47
1Finland7.1
2Belgium12.9
3Denmark13.6
...
29Poland33.2
30Luxembourg33.9
31Italy34.0
32Singapore34.1
33Portugal34.4
34Greece36.3
35Argentina38.2
36Slovakia42.9
World Avg86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark48. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone48. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots49.

Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.

Bill Emmott (2017)50

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe48, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia48.

For more, see:

Modernity and Education:

Research & Development
Higher is better
Pos.2016
% RDP PPP
1S. Korea4.2951
2Israel4.1151
3Japan3.5851
...
13Slovenia2.3951
14France2.2651
15Australia2.2552
16=Singapore2.0053
16=Czechia2.0051
18Netherlands1.9751
19Iceland1.8951
20=Norway1.7051
Asia Avg0.75
World Avg0.84
q=126.
Secondary Education
Higher is better
54
Pos.201854
1=Luxembourg100.0%
1=Estonia100.0%
1=Austria100.0%
...
57Bosnia & Herzegovina81.2%
58Malaysia80.8%
59Cyprus80.3%
60Singapore79.6%
61Italy79.6%
62Hong Kong79.4%
63Chile79.3%
64China78.6%
Asia Avg66.0%
World Avg63.0%
q=169.
Length of Schooling
Higher is better
55
Pos.2021
Years55
1Australia21.1
2New Zealand20.3
3Greece20.0
...
22Uruguay16.8
23Chile16.7
24Costa Rica16.5
25Singapore16.5
26S. Korea16.5
27Switzerland16.5
28Canada16.4
29Bahrain16.3
Asia Avg13.5
World Avg13.5
q=193.
Intellectual Endeavours
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Ukraine1
2Czechia2
3Hungary3
...
23Poland23
24France24
25S. Africa25
26Singapore26
27Greece27
28Serbia28
29Canada29
30Romania30
Asia Avg97.1
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Maths, Science & Reading
Higher is better
56
Pos.2015
Score56
1Singapore1655
2Hong Kong1598
3Japan1586
4Macau1582
5Estonia1573
6=Taiwan1571
6=Canada1571
8Finland1568
9S. Korea1557
10China154357
11=Ireland1528
11=Slovenia1528
Asia Avg1398
World Avg1389
q=70.
IQ
Higher is better58
Pos.200658
1=Hong Kong108
1=Singapore108
3S. Korea106
4=Japan105
4=Taiwan105
4=China105
7Italy102
8=Iceland101
8=Switzerland101
8=Mongolia101
11Netherlands100
12=Norway100
Asia Avg90.4
World Avg85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users
Higher is better
59
Pos.201659
1Iceland100%
2Faroe Islands99%
3Norway98%
...
29Australia85%
30Bahamas85%
31Puerto Rico83%
32=Singapore83%
32=Slovakia83%
34Spain82%
35Austria81%
36Ireland81%
Asia Avg48.7%
World Avg48.1%
q=201.
IPv6 Uptake
Higher is better
60
Pos.2017
Ratio60
1Belgium55.4
2Germany41.8
3Switzerland35.1
...
32Slovenia5.4
33Bolivia5.0
34Macau4.2
35Singapore4.0
36Sweden3.8
37Poland3.6
38Thailand3.3
39Denmark3.1
Asia Avg2.11
World Avg3.82
q=176.
Digital Quality of Life
Higher is better
61
Pos.202461
1Germany77.9%
2Finland76.9%
3France73.9%
...
11Switzerland69.0%
12Sweden68.7%
13Japan68.3%
14Singapore67.9%
15Lithuania67.8%
16Romania67.8%
17USA67.5%
18Bulgaria66.3%
Asia Avg46.4%
World Avg48.4%
q=121.

Singapore has the 2nd highest quality internet access in the world, after Qatar, the best level of online government services and the fastest fixed-broadband speed62.

National Culture:

World Giving Index
Higher is better
63
Pos.2022
%63
1Indonesia68.0
2Kenya61.0
3USA59.0
...
30=Uganda46.0
31Bahrain45.0
32=Malta45.0
32=Singapore45.0
32=Macedonia45.0
32=Venezuela45.0
32=Norway45.0
32=Austria45.0
Asia Avg37.9
World Avg39.6
q=125.
Corruption
Higher is better
64
Pos.2022
Points64
1Denmark90.0
2=Finland87.0
2=New Zealand87.0
4Norway84.0
5=Singapore83.0
5=Sweden83.0
7Switzerland82.0
8Netherlands80.0
9Germany79.0
10=Ireland77.0
10=Luxembourg77.0
12Hong Kong76.0
Asia Avg39.98
World Avg42.98
q=180.

In the 1990s, Singapore had the 7th-best average result per year on the Corruption Perception Index, and again in the 2010s it was the 7th-best on average.

Happiness
Higher is better
65
Pos.2024
Score65
1Finland7.7
2Denmark7.5
3Iceland7.5
...
31Serbia6.6
32Saudi Arabia6.6
33France6.6
34Singapore6.6
35Romania6.6
36Brazil6.5
37El Salvador6.5
38Spain6.5
Asia Avg5.41
World Avg5.58
q=147.
Creativity & Culture
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Belgium1
2Netherlands2
3Estonia3
...
26Italy26
27Mauritius27
28Malta28
29Singapore29
30Spain30
31Romania31
32Costa Rica32
33Serbia33
Asia Avg99.0
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Open Trading, Aid & Development
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Ireland1
2Denmark2
3Sweden3
...
15Albania15
16Togo16
17France17
18Singapore18
19Malaysia19
20Nicaragua20
21Portugal21
22Moldova22
Asia Avg86.3
World Avg82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability:

Global Peace Index
Lower is better
66
Pos.2023
Score66
1Iceland1.12
2Denmark1.31
3Ireland1.31
4New Zealand1.31
5Austria1.32
6Singapore1.33
7Portugal1.33
8Slovenia1.33
9Japan1.34
10Switzerland1.34
11Canada1.35
12Czechia1.38
Asia Avg2.17
World Avg2.07
q=163.
Peacekeeping & Security
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Samoa1
2S. Africa2
3Tunisia3
...
11Oman11
12Tanzania12
13Cameroon13
14Singapore14
15Colombia15
16Costa Rica16
17Hungary17
18Japan18
Asia Avg76.0
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Refugees & UN Treaties
Lower is better
34
Pos.2017
Rank34
1Austria1
2Germany2
3Netherlands3
...
27Panama27
28Portugal28
29USA29
30Singapore30
31Greece31
32Bulgaria32
33S. Korea33
34Mauritius34
Asia Avg92.2
World Avg82.0
q=163.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy
Lower is better67
Pos.201967
1Iceland2.40
2=Singapore2.50
2=Hong Kong2.50
4Sweden2.90
5=Slovenia2.90
5=Japan2.90
7Finland3.00
8=Czechia3.00
8=Norway3.00
8=S. Korea3.00
8=Spain3.00
12Netherlands3.10
Asia Avg11.80
World Avg14.59
q=184.

8. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #Christmas #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #singapore

Disbelief In God (2007)68
Pos.Higher is better
%68
1Vietnam81
2Japan65
3Sweden64
...
34=Israel15
35Armenia14
36=Lithuania13
36=Singapore13
38Kazakhstan12
39=China12
39=Uruguay12
41USA10
42Trinidad & Tobago9
43Albania8
44=Dominican Rep.7
44=Croatia7
44=Kyrgyzstan7
44=Cambodia7
48Moldova6
49=Italy6
World Avg9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below69:

Christian18.2%
Muslim14.3%
Hindu5.2%
Buddhist33.9%
Folk Religion2.3%
Jewish0.1%
Unaffiliated16.4%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)70.

Links:

Singapore's 2 million people, in 1972, celebrated Christmas as always. But only a few percent of them were Christians, its (acting) Prime Minister, Goh Keng Swee, reflected on the event, recalling that it is an ancient pagan festival that long predates Christianity, with its basis in the Roman Saturnalia71, and so, Singaporeans needn't be Christian in order to celebrate it.