Singapore city-state (state capital), the people of Singapore - - Pictures
At the time of the 1990 census, Singapore had a population of 2,705,115. The 2000 population estimate was 3,571,710. Immigration is highly restricted, so the natural population increase, which measures births and deaths, is an important indicator of the country's future population growth. Singapore's natural population increase is 0.8 percent annually, and this rate is expected to fall as much of the population ages beyond the childbearing years. The government is concerned about the slow growth rate because increasingly fewer working people must support a growing elderly population, straining available resources for health care and other social services. The government provides tax incentives to families that have several children, but the growth rate is still expected to fall because most Singaporeans prefer small families. The overall population density is 5,516 persons per sq km (14,287 per sq mi). Large residential areas with high-rise public housing estates are located throughout the main island, including the districts of Jurong in the southwest, and Geylang and Katong along the east coast.
