Singapore is a small city-state located in Southeast Asia. It is one of the most prosperous and developed countries in the world with a strong economy and excellent infrastructure. Singapore has a highly diversified and open economy with a large number of sectors contributing to its growth and development. These include the manufacturing, services, financial services, and tourism sectors.
The manufacturing sector contributes significantly to Singapore’s GDP and consists of several industries including electronics, chemicals, biomedical sciences, engineering, shipbuilding, and food processing. The country has attracted many foreign investors due to its business-friendly environment with low taxes and efficient regulation. As such, multinational corporations have set up their regional headquarters in Singapore as well as established factories for production purposes.
According to cheeroutdoor, services are an important component of Singapore’s economy as they account for around two-thirds of GDP. This sector includes banking & finance, telecommunications & IT services, transportation & logistics services as well as professional & business services such as legal or accounting firms. The financial services industry is particularly important in Singapore due to its status as one of the major financial hubs in Asia Pacific region.
The tourism sector is also an important contributor to Singapore’s economy. It attracts millions of visitors every year who come for sightseeing attractions such as Marina Bay Sands or Gardens by the Bay or to attend various festivals or events hosted throughout the year such as Chinese New Year or Formula 1 Grand Prix Race Night Race Weekend. In addition to this, there are many shopping malls which offer unique retail experiences for tourists from around the world.
In addition to these traditional sectors of the economy, there is also an increasing emphasis on innovation and technology with initiatives such as Smart Nation which focuses on leveraging data analytics in order to improve public service delivery while also creating new jobs through digitalization efforts. The government has taken steps towards developing a more vibrant startup ecosystem by providing grants and other incentives for entrepreneurs setting up operations in Singapore while also encouraging collaboration between academia & industry through research projects focused on developing new technologies or products that can potentially benefit the country’s economic growth prospects over time.
Since 2010, Singapore has experienced strong economic growth. This growth is mainly a result of state-controlled development programs aimed at special industries. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 3.6 per cent in 2017. GDP per capita is USD 94 100 (2017), which is the seventh highest in the world and the highest in Asia. The unemployment rate is 2.2 percent (2017). Singapore ranks number nine out of 189 countries on the UN Global Living Index. No other ASEAN country has a higher ranking on this list.
Industry
The industrial sector accounts for 24.8 percent of the country’s GDP and employs 25.6 percent of the working population.
Historical background
In 1965, when Singapore was forced out of the union with Malaysia, job creation was the primary goal. Foreign investment was attracted to the country to build up the industry. After reaching the goal of full employment in the early 1970s, the focus shifted to developing a more technologically advanced industry.
The development of the industrial sector
Abbreviated as SGP by abbreviationfinder.org, Singapore has developed a large industrial growth area in Jurong on the western part of the island. Here are a large number of factories with the production of cement and building materials, plywood, chemicals and plastics, machinery, ships and steel structures. Singapore is also a leading nation in Southeast Asia for the production of oil platforms and oil drilling equipment.
In addition, lighter industrial products such as metal products, electronic articles, including telecommunications equipment, as well as textiles and clothing, pharmaceutical products, vegetable oils and more are produced. Japanese capital is behind some of the new industries, but European and American industries are also setting up branches and subsidiaries in Singapore. Much of the low-tech, but space-intensive and labor-intensive industry has moved out either to Johor in Malaysia or to the Indonesian island of Batam, 31 km south of Singapore.
Agriculture and fishing
Agriculture and fisheries comprise only a negligible part (about 0.1 percent of GDP) of the country’s business and employ 0.7 percent of the working population.
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Service Industries
The service industries account for 75.2 percent of the country’s GDP and employ 73.7 percent of the working population.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, there has been a focus on the development of the service industries (trade, finance, transport and tourism), where these industries together with the industry will act as a “locomotive” in the country’s economic development. Singapore was early in using modern information technology in the development of the service industries, and today it is considered the leading financial center in Southeast Asia. Many Norwegian companies are established in Singapore either with offices or production companies.
Tourism has become increasingly important. In 2018, Singapore was visited by 18.5 million foreign tourists, compared to 11.6 million in 2010. (This does not include foreign nationals who traveled from Malaysia to Singapore by train, car or bus.) The largest number of tourists is from China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Australia.
Foreign Trade
Singapore’s exports amounted to USD 396.8 billion in 2017, while imports amounted to USD 312.1 billion. With this, the country had a foreign trade surplus of USD 84.7 billion.
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The five main export markets are: China (27.3 percent), Malaysia (10.8 percent), the United States (6.6 percent), Indonesia (5.8 percent) and Japan (4.7 percent). The main export goods are electronic products, telecommunications equipment, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, refined petroleum products and food and beverages.
The five main markets for Singapore’s imports are: China (13.9 percent), Malaysia (12.0 percent), the United States (10.7 percent), Japan (6.3 percent) and South Korea (5.0 percent). The most important import goods are machinery and equipment, raw materials, mineral oil, food and consumables.
Transport and Communications
The development of an effective communication network has been an important part of the economic development. With its strategic location on the Singapore Strait and high efficiency, Singapore has become one of the leading transport hubs in Asia.
Note: the capital city of Singapore is Singapore with a population of 5,600,000 (2017). Other major cities include other cities are missing.
Changi International Airport is located in the eastern part of Singapore, approximately 20 km from the city center. With 62.2 million passengers (2017), Changi is the ninth largest airport in Asia.
Singapore has the world’s second largest container port after Shanghai. Measured in value, the country has the world’s fourth largest fleet after Greece, Japan and China.
Singapore has a rail link with Malaysia, and two bridges connect the island with Johor. A metro covers much of the island. The total road network is 3 496 km, of which 164 km are highways.
