Singapore Is Now a Super-Aged Society: 21.4% of Citizens Are 65 and Above

In 2026, 21.4 per cent of Singaporeans are aged 65 and older, up from 20.7 per cent in 2025 and 13.7 per cent a decade ago. This means the Republic has crossed the threshold for the United Nations’ definition of a super-aged society, where 21 per cent or more of the population is aged 65 and older.

The number of Singaporeans aged 80 and older also increased to 152,000 in 2026, up from 145,000 in 2025. This is a 60 per cent jump from a decade ago, when there were 95,000 citizens in this age group.

The figures were published by the National Population and Talent Division on 25 September in its annual Population In Brief report. The report said more than one in four citizens is estimated to be aged 65 and above by 2035.

Citizen population by broad age bands as at June: Aged 19 and below, 21.9 per cent in 2016, 19.3 per cent in 2026, projected 18.2 per cent in 2030 and 16.9 per cent in 2035. Aged 20 to 64, 64.3 per cent in 2016, 59.3 per cent in 2026, projected 57.8 per cent and 57.1 per cent. Aged 65 and above, 13.7 per cent in 2016, 21.4 per cent in 2026, projected 24 per cent and 26.1 per cent.

The proportion of working-age people, those between 20 and 64 typically defined as capable of providing economic support to older dependants, has fallen in the past decade. In 2026, 59.3 per cent of Singaporeans are in this age group, down from 64.3 per cent in 2016.

The report said this figure is expected to remain broadly stable between 2030 and 2035, with smaller cohorts moving into the 65 and older age group and younger cohorts flowing into the 20 to 64 band, in part due to immigration.

The ratio of working-age residents to elderly residents aged 65 and older fell from 5.4 in 2016 to 3.2 in 2026. The median age of Singaporeans also rose from 43.7 in 2025 to 44.1 in 2026.

Sociologists who spoke to The Straits Times said the authorities have taken crucial steps to meet the changing needs of Singapore’s rapidly ageing population, such as by reforming healthcare towards preventive care, expanding care beyond hospitals and bringing in new citizens.

But they warned that social dynamics could also change as Singaporeans above 65 form a growing part of the electorate and have a larger say at the polls.

Nanyang Technological University assistant professor of sociology Shannon Ang cited the concept of a gerontocracy, where a society is led by people much older than the general population. While this has not played out in Singapore, Ang said there is a small chance that the needs and interests of older people are amplified above those of the younger generation.

This could result in both groups viewing each other through a zero-sum lens where “my gain is your loss”, said Tan Ern Ser, adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies. “In some countries, there seems to be this dynamic where the young find that they have to support more and more of the old, who contribute less in taxes than before, and that can cause intergenerational conflict. Hopefully, we don’t come to that here.”

Both sociologists pointed out that many seniors here want to continue working. Nearly one in three Singapore residents aged 65 and older were employed in 2025, up from 24.7 per cent in 2015. Beyond dependency ratios, Ang said it is important to consider the different forms that work can take for seniors so that they can continue to be valued members of society, and how to foster interactions between the young and the old.