PEOPLE
Singapore is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The annual growth rate for 2007 was 4.3%, including resident foreigners. Singapore has a varied linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage. Malay is the national language, but Chinese, English, and Tamil also are official languages. English is the language of administration and also is widely used in the professions, businesses, and schools.
The government has mandated that English be the primary language used at all levels of the school systems, and it aims to provide at least 10 years of education for every child. In 2006, primary and secondary school students totaled about 530,423, or 11.8% of the entire population. In 2006, enrollment at the universities was 62,918 (first degree full-time/part-time) and 67,667 at the polytechnics. The Institute of Technical Education for basic technical and commerce skills has almost 23,636 students. The country's literacy rate is 95.4%.
Singapore
generally allows religious freedom, although religious groups
are subject to government scrutiny, and some religious sects are
restricted or banned. Almost all Malays are Muslim; other Singaporeans
are Taoists, Buddhists, Confucianists, Christians, Hindus, or
Sikhs.
Population (2007): 4.59 million (including permanent residents, foreign workers).
Annual growth rate (2007): 4.3% (total); 1.6% (residents).
Ethnic groups: Chinese 75.2%, Malays 13.6%, Indians 8.8%.
Religions: Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu.
Languages: English, Mandarin and other Chinese dialects, Malay, Tamil.
Education: Years compulsory--six. Attendance--94%. Literacy--95.4%.
Health (2006): Infant mortality rate--2.6/1,000. Life expectancy--78.0 yrs. male, 82.8 yrs. female.
Work force (2007, 2.73 million): Manufacturing--20.7%; services--67.7%.
