KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1965 Population: 5,412,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 3.5% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$54,040 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 9 Life expectancy: 82 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 3 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 1.7% of GDP (2012) General information The name ‘Singapore’ derives from the Sanskrit Singa Pura (‘City of the Lion’). Situated in South-East Asia and lying just north of the equator, the Republic of Singapore is separated from Peninsular Malaysia by the narrow Johor Straits (1-km wide), crossed by a causeway. A number of smaller islands are included within its boundaries and a few kilometres to the south are islands belonging to Indonesia. Climate: A hot and humid tropical climate, without defined seasons. Heavy showers November–January. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are industrial pollution and seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia; and the finite land and freshwater resources to support a very high population density. Population: 5,412,000 (2013); 100 per cent of people live in urban areas, and 100 per cent in urban agglomerations of more than one million people. The population growth rate stood at 2.5 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013. In 2013 the birth rate was ten per 1,000 people (23 in 1970) and life expectancy was 82 years (69 in 1970). The population is predominantly Chinese (77 per cent in 2000 census), with Malays constituting 14 per cent and Indians eight per cent, and small minorities of Europeans and Eurasians. Economy: Singapore is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: Infant mortality in Singapore was two deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of three deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013 – down from eight deaths in 1990. In 2010 the two most prominent causes of death for children below the age of five years were prematurity (26 per cent) and congenital anomalies (25 per cent). Other contributory causes were acute respiratory infections (eight per cent), intrapartum-related complications (seven per cent), injuries (six per cent), neonatal sepsis (one per cent) and diarrhoea (one per cent). In 2013 Singapore had an adjusted maternal mortality ratio of six deaths per 100,000 live births (an estimate from UN agencies/World Bank). Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Singapore accounted for an estimated 76 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The most prevalent NCDs in Singapore are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 31 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2012, and cancer, accounting for 30 per cent of all deaths. Non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases and diabetes contributed three per cent and one per cent to total mortality, respectively (2012). Injuries accounted for five per cent of deaths in 2012. Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in Singapore accounted for an estimated 19 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The prevalence of HIV in Singapore, as a percentage of people aged 15–49 years, is less than 0.1 per cent (2012). Despite being in a region endemic for malaria, Singapore has maintained its malaria-free status from the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1982. Estimated incidence of and estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) from tuberculosis (TB) have fallen overall in the period 1990–2013, although estimated incidence has shown a gradual increase in the period 2007–13. The most commonly diagnosed mental illness in Singapore is depression, alongside dementia. Health systems: In 2012 government expenditure on health was 1.7 per cent of GDP, equivalent to US$912 per capita. In the most recent survey, conducted between 1997 and 2010, there were 192 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 261 Singapore
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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