World Business | Asia | Asia Business | Singapore

Economy - overview:
Singapore, a highly developed and successful free market economy, enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the Big 4 West European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing. It was hard hit in 2001-03 by the global recession, by the slump in the technology sector, and by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003, which curbed tourism and consumer spending. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal stimulus, low interest rates, a surge in exports, and internal flexibility led to vigorous growth in 2004, with real GDP rising by 8 percent, by far the economy's best performance since 2000.
 

Agriculture - Products
rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables, poultry, eggs, fish, ornamental fish

Airlines
Airlines in Asia
Airlines Worldwide

Airports
Airports in Asia
Airports Worldwide

Country Budget
revenues: $17.05 billion
expenditures: $18.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.8 billion (2004 est.)

Currency (code): Singapore dollar (SGD)

Currency Exchange Rates
Singapore dollars per US dollar - 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003), 1.7906 (2002), 1.7917 (2001), 1.724 (2000)

Fiscal Year: 1 April - 31 March

GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
GDP (purchasing power parity):  $120.9 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:  8.1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:  purchasing power parity - $27,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0% negligible
industry: 32.6%
services: 67.4% (2004 est.)

Imports / Exports
Exports:  $174 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:  machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels
Exports - partners:  Malaysia 15.2%, US 13%, Hong Kong 9.8%, China 8.6%, Japan 6.4%, Taiwan 4.6%, Thailand 4.3%, South Korea 4.1% (2004)

Imports:  $155.2 billion (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:  machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:  Malaysia 15.3%, US 12.7%, Japan 11.7%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 5.7%, South Korea 4.3%, Thailand 4.1% (2004)

Industries
electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade

Investing
Forex, Foreign Exchange Market: Currency Trading

Labor Force & Unemployment Rate
Labor force:  2.18 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and communication 11%, financial, business, and other services 49%, other 16% (2003)
Unemployment rate:  3.4% (2004 est.)
 
News (Business News)
Singapore Business Times Online