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Singapore Reports Record-Low Income Inequality as First Wealth Data Shows Wider Gaps

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong called for refreshed policies after new official data introduced wealth measures, signalling moderating mobility.

Overview

  • MOF and Singstat released the Key Household Income Trends 2025, shifting to a market income series that includes non-employment income and all resident households.
  • After taxes and transfers, the Gini coefficient was 0.379 in 2025, down from 0.437 in 2015, reflecting decade-long real wage gains that were strongest for lower-income workers.
  • Singapore’s first official wealth estimate put the wealth Gini at 0.55, broadly comparable to advanced economies, with officials cautioning top-end assets may be underreported.
  • In 2023, property accounted for 56% of household wealth, with CPF balances and other financial assets each at 22%, underscoring housing’s role in asset distribution.
  • Cohort analysis found most children from lower-income families moved up the income ladder, though a growing share remained in the bottom fifth across later cohorts.