Slower population growth, ageing need not be alarming: economists

Singapore

SINGAPORE'S population growth over the last decade slowed to 1.1 per cent per year, less than half of the 2.5 per cent annual rate in the decade before that, the latest Census of Population showed.

While the trend of an ageing population persists, the economic implications are not necessarily that alarming, said economists.

But pivoting away from non-resident labour might be harder, notwithstanding a year on year fall in 2020 due to Covid-19 curbs, they said.

In 2020, Singapore's total population was 5.69 million, up from 5.08 million a decade before, according to data released by the Department of Statistics on Wednesday.

Residents - that is…