Singaporeans

Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-denominational, multi-lingual, and multi-ethnic country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian descent have made up the overwhelming majority of the population since the 19th century.]The Singaporean diaspora is also far-reaching worldwide.

In 1819, the port of Singapore was established by Sir Stamford Raffles, who opened it to free trade and free immigration on the island’s south coast. Many immigrants from the region settled in Singapore. By 1827, the population of the island was composed of people from various ethnic groups.

Singapore is a multilingual and multicultural society. It is home to people of many different ethnic, racial, religious, denominational, and national origins — the majority of which are of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Arab, Eurasian, and European descent. The Singaporean identity was fostered as a way for these different groups to integrate and identify as one with the nation, while preserving the culture and traditions of each group without assimilating minority cultures into a single majority culture.

According to a 2017 survey by the Institute of Policy Studies, 49% of Singaporeans identify with both the Singaporean identity and their ethnic identity equally, while 35% would identify as “Singaporeans” first and 14.2% would identify with their ethnic identity. As of 2019, the population of Singaporeans stands at 4,026,200 and the population of Overseas Singaporeans stands at 340,751, with 217,200 individuals retaining their citizenship.

Religion
The Sultan Mosque, built in 1826 in the Kampong Glam district, is the oldest and one of the largest mosque in Singapore.
Singapore is the world’s most religiously diverse nation, with Singaporeans following various religious beliefs and practices due to the country’s diverse ethnic and cultural mix. The Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore (IRO) recognises 10 major religions being practiced in the city state. Dharmic religions have the highest number of adherents in Singapore, with 33% of the population practising Buddhism and 5% of the population practising Hinduism. Many Singaporeans are also adherents of Abrahamic religions, with 18.7% of the population identifying as Christian, and 14% identifying as Muslim.

Other prominent faiths practised by Singaporeans include Taoism (10%), Chinese folk religion, and other Dharmic religions like Sikhism and Jainism. A small percentage of Singapore’s population practices Zoroastrianism and Judaism. 18.5% not identifying with any religion and 0.9% of Singaporeans identify as atheist. In addition, practice of hybrid religions is also common such as the incorporation of Taoism and Hindu traditions into Buddhism and vice versa.

Religious Group

Buddhism
Taoism and folk religion
Christianity
Catholicism
Protestantism and other non-Catholic
Not religious
Islam
Hinduism
Other religions