National Day Rally 2026: Singaporeans will remain the majority as country stays open to immigration

Singaporeans will remain the majority in Singapore, even as the country continues to welcome newcomers to maintain a sustainable population, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

The country’s multi-racial and multi-religious character will also remain as the Government will continue to broadly maintain the current ethnic balance, he added at the National Day Rally on Aug 23.

PM Wong gave these two assurances as he spoke of how Singapore has to remain open to immigration as relying only on births would result in a shrinking citizen population.
The Government will refresh the citizen population at a measured and sustainable pace, and welcome new citizens that embrace Singapore’s ideals and values, he said.

At the same time, it will manage the size of the foreign workforce in a “careful and controlled way”, he added.

It will also work at integrating newcomers and Singaporeans, which must go both ways, he said.

PM Wong’s remarks on this topic came after he had earlier in his Rally speech announced wide-ranging measures to better support families here.

“Despite all that we do to support families, we have to be realistic – our total fertility rate is still likely to fall far short of replacement,” he said.

If Singapore relied only on births, its citizen population would shrink and age more rapidly, and there would be fewer younger Singaporeans to support a growing number of seniors, he said.

“Over time, this would have profound consequences – for our economy, our society and our ability to keep Singapore going,” he added.

That is why for many years, Singapore supplemented its population by welcoming new citizens, he said, noting that the country has always been shaped by immigration throughout its history.

The Malays came from different parts of the Malay Archipelago, while the Chinese came from different parts of China and the Indians came from across the subcontinent. Others came from the Middle East, Europe and many other parts of the world, he added.

“Nearly all of us have parents, grandparents or great-grandparents who came to Singapore from somewhere else,” he said.

Today, newcomers continue to be a part of the Singapore story, as Singaporeans work or study overseas and form relationships across borders while others come here to work and settle down, he said.

While it may take time for the first generation to fully settle in, the next generation will grow up with Singapore being their home, attending local schools, making friends and even serving National Service together, he added.

That is why being Singaporean has never been about ancestry or where one’s family first came from,” he said.

“It has always been about commitment. A commitment to put Singapore first. A commitment to our values and way of life. And a belief that, whatever our backgrounds, our future is ours to build together.”

These convictions are captured in the National Pledge, which marks its 60th anniversary this year, and is a promise that generation after generation of Singaporeans have kept, he said.

This article was originally published in The Straits Times.