| Economy - overview | Singapore has a highly-developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the four largest West European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics and information technology products. It was hard hit from 2001-03 by the global recession, by the slump in the technology sector, and by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which curbed tourism and consumer spending. Fiscal stimulus, low interest rates, a surge in exports, and internal flexibility led to vigorous growth in 2004-06 with real GDP growth averaging 7% annually. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the global demand cycle for information technology products - it has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production - and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. |
|
| GDP | 4.9% (2005 est.) |
|
| GDP - real growth rate | 7.9% (2006 est.) |
|
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 0%
industry: 33.8%
services: 66.2% (2006 est.) |
|
| Population below poverty line | NA% |
|
Household income or consumption
by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Distribution of family income
- Gini index | 42.5 (1998) |
|
| Labor force | 2.4 million (2006 est.) |
|
| Labor force - by occupation | manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%, financial, business, and other services 39%, other 26% (2003) |
|
| Unemployment rate | 3.1% (2006 est.) |
|
| Budget | revenues: $19.71 billion
expenditures: $19.85 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.1 billion (2006 est.) |
|
| Industries | electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade |
|
| Industrial production growth rate | 12.6% (2006 est.) |
|
Electricity -
production | 32.64 billion kWh (2004) |
|
Electricity -
production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
|
Electricity -
consumption | 30.35 billion kWh (2004) |
|
Electricity -
exports | 0 kWh (2004) |
|
Electricity -
imports | 0 kWh (2004) |
|
| Oil - production | 9,701 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
|
| Oil - consumption | 800,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
|
| Oil - exports | NA bbl/day |
|
| Oil - imports | NA bbl/day |
|
| Agriculture - products | rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs; fish, ornamental fish |
|
| Exports | $283.6 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
|
| Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels |
|
| Exports - partners | Malaysia 13.3%, US 10.4%, Indonesia 9.6%, Hong Kong 9.4%, China 8.6%, Japan 5.5%, Thailand 4.1% (2005) |
|
| Imports | $246.1 billion (2006 est.) |
|
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs |
|
| Imports - partners | Malaysia 13.7%, US 11.7%, China 10.3%, Japan 9.6%, Taiwan 5.9%, Indonesia 5.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.5%, South Korea 4.3% (2005) |
|
| Debt - external | $24.3 billion (2006 est.) |
|
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA |
|
| Currency code | SGD |
|
| Exchange rates | Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.5889 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002) |
|
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March |
|
