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Singapore is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The annual growth rate for 2000 was 2.8% (including resident foreigners). Singapore has a varied linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage.
Ethnic groups
Chinese 77%, Malay 14%, Indian 7.6%, other 1.4%.
Source: Census 2000
Languages
There are four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.
The national language is officially Malay, although English is the dominating language. English serves as a link between the different ethnic groups and is the language of the educational system and the administration.
The colloquial English used in daily life is often referred to as Singlish.
However, even more languages are spoken by the different ethnic groups in Singapore. While the use of Mandarin is promoted by the Singapore government, many Chinese dialects, like Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese and Hakka, are used especially by the older parts of the Chinese population.
About 60% of Singapore's Indian population speaks Tamil as native language. Other Indian languages are Malayalam and Hindi.
Only about 5000 Baba Nyonya, the early Chinese population of the area, still make use of the Hokkien-influenced Malay dialect called Baba Malay.
Religions
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 Hindus, Sikhs, Taoists, Buddhists, Confucianists, or Christians.
Aged 15 years & above
Source: Census 2000
Population
4,600,000 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure
| Age | percentage | male | female
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| 0-14 years | 18% | 390,352 | 365,730
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| 15-64 years | 75% | 1,520,875 | 1,590,355
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| 65 years and over | 7% | 124,413 | 159,539
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(2000 est.)
| Population growth rate | 3.54%
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| Birth rate | 12.79 births/1,000 population
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| Death rate | 4.21 deaths/1,000 population
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| Net migration rate | 26.8 migrant/1,000 population
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(2000 est.)
Sex ratio
| Age | males/female
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| at birth | 1.08
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| under 15 years | 1.07
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| 15-64 years | 0.96
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| 65 years and over | 0.78
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| total population | 0.96
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(2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate
3.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
total population:
80.05 years
male:
77.1 years
female:
83.23 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.16 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Literacy
Aged 15 years & above
| Year | 2000 | 1990 |
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| Total | 92.5% | 89.1% |
| Male | 96.6% | 95.1% |
| Female | 88.6% | 83.0% |
Source: Census 2000
See Also
External links
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