The population in Singapore, as per the Population Trends 2009 report released by the Department of Statistics on Monday, was 4,987,600 at the end of June. While nearly 75 per cent are Singapore citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents (PRs), also known as Singapore residents, the remaining 25 per cent are non-residents.

The fresh figures clearly reflect a 3.1 per cent growth over the previous year. The resident population recorded a 2.5 per cent jump. The number of Singapore citizens increased by 1.1 per cent to 3.2 million in 2009. Last year, the group's population stood at 3.16 million.

In June, Singapore PRs hiked to 0.53 million, higher from 0.48 million in 2008. "The report also showed that the 1.25 million non-resident population grew at a slower rate of 4.8 per cent, compared to growths of more than 10 per cent in the last two years," said a source.

Apart from this, hike has also appeared in the number of resident households by 1.7 per cent to an estimated 1,093,100 in 2008. In 2008, the average household size was 3.5 persons, which was lower than the average household size of 3.7 persons in 2000 and 4.2 persons in 1990. "The proportion of households with two to three persons rose from 28 per cent in 1990 to 40 per cent in
2008, while the proportion of persons living alone has also increased from 5.2 per cent in 1990 to 10 per cent in 2008," concluded the report.