Singapore: Population Growth May Exceed Resources

Overall population growth has been a visceral issue since the last election, reaching a peak of discontent with the publication of the White Paper on the working assumptions up to 2030. Many were equating the matter solely with living space and job scarcity if the population grew to between six and seven million, bumped up by immigration.

Those who still hold to this position should ponder the latest population statistic showing the country had its slowest rate of growth for a decade last year – at 1.3 per cent to reach 5.47 million. Citizens accounted for six in 10 persons. With a slower intake of foreign professionals and immigrant labour, and with more rapid development in infrastructure to relieve pressure, the old complaints are less insistent but they might never dissipate.

Studying birth rates, life expectancies and net migration gain or loss in relation to a country’s economic performance and quality of life, demographers see deficiencies in the profile. The nexus ought to worry the average Singaporean, too. One troubling figure is the old-age support ratio, with its implications of lower tax revenue and higher social spending. It has halved in one generation – from 10.4 working adults for each person aged 65 plus in 1990, to 5.2 last year.

For an economy without a fallback on the bounty of nature, this is unsustainable. Erosion of economic vitality has long haunted the political leadership; the challenge has been how to make sense of it to the people and convince them about what needs to be done. The furore ignited by the White Paper showed how hard it is to debate the issue dispassionately. Sooner or later, it will have to be confronted anew to seek a balance between quality economic growth and optimal population size.

straitstimes.com

11 Comments on "Singapore: Population Growth May Exceed Resources"

rockman on Thu, 9th Oct 2014 3:01 pm 



“Population Growth May Exceed Resources”. Well Da! And hasn’t been that the case with every country importing oil/NG today. Long ago the US population growth exceeded our energy resources. Even today with the surge in US oil production we still don’t produce enough to satisfy our population.

paulo1 on Thu, 9th Oct 2014 3:08 pm 



When I read this headline all I could say was, “you think”?

meld on Thu, 9th Oct 2014 3:24 pm 



no shit sherwok

JuanP on Thu, 9th Oct 2014 3:35 pm 



In a post peak collapsing world with no energy imports available, what percentage of Singapore’s population would survive?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore
Singapore is one of the most overpopulated countries on earth, if not the most. With 5.47 million people in 277 square miles. That is 19,750 people per square mile.
If you live there, get out while you can!

JuanP on Thu, 9th Oct 2014 3:43 pm 



Macau(China) and Monaco are the two most densely populated places in the world, Singapore is third, but the only one of these with millions of people and an island geography that makes for difficult evacuation in a post collapse scenario.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_by_population_density#Main_table
Singapore may just be the worst place in the world to face what’s coming.

toolpush on Thu, 9th Oct 2014 6:01 pm 



Singapore does not have resources, everything is imported, including the slave sorry cheap labour they import from Bangladesh, Indonesia, India and the like. These people are brought into the country on two year contracts, paid peanuts, and the add insult to injury, most of those peanuts have to be paid to an agent in their home country to get the job in the first place. Their overtime is usually what they rely on to survive and send back home.
Singapore is very much like ancient Rome. The citizens live well, and the slaves do all the work.

Kenz300 on Fri, 10th Oct 2014 8:10 am 



Wrap it up……. get it snipped……

Birth Control Permanent Methods: Learn About Effectiveness

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/birth_control_permanent_methods/article_em.htm

Makati1 on Fri, 10th Oct 2014 8:58 am 



JuanP, Manila has ~111,000 per square mile, according to Wiki. My part, Makati, has ~50,000/sq.mi.

Singapore doesn’t even come close to number 50: Athens with ~43,000/sq.mi..

Perspective is important.

Davy on Fri, 10th Oct 2014 9:29 am 



Most Asian locations above 5000/sq mile are doomed since Asia is already food dependent on a global trade and distribution system. The same is true globally it is just the sheer size and number of the Asian urban overshoot regions that put Asia in a class all its own. The Philippians is particularly vulnerable being third world and at the wrong end of the toilet

JuanP on Fri, 10th Oct 2014 10:25 am 



Mak, thanks for the info, I didn’t know. But my point was about city island nations or states, more than cities. Singapore isn’t just a city, but a nation state. While two million of them are foreigners with places to go, more than three million would have to move abroad in a collapsing world, probably by foot or boat across the strait to Malaysia. I wouldn’t want to be in that position.
All big cities are totally unsustainable, Miami is a sad joke as Manila seems to be.

Makati1 on Fri, 10th Oct 2014 8:52 pm 



JuanP. True, it will not be a good place to be if there is a fast crash, but, then again, most here, that are not foreigners, will have family and farms in the country to go to.

I have a place to go to, so I am not worried. I don’t need an army to protect my home from the hordes of scavengers. They will be my neighbors. We will share what we have, as is the culture of Filipinos.

Someone here is so sure that all Asians (and foreigners) are going to die when the SHTF that he cannot see the death that surrounds him in the USSA. His loss. The USSA is a 3rd world country already. a few more years and it will be obvious to even him. I prefer a country with a cuklture of family and sharing and low consumption to the extremes in the USSA. As I said before:

“I would rather live surrounded by the exciting chaos of birth that is Asia, than the struggling chaos of death that is the West.”