Singapore – When musician Ma Huan came to Singapore in 2010 to join the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, she discovered that adapting to a new culture came with unexpected lessons.
Growing up in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, lively conversations were the norm. However, her Singaporean colleagues gently advised the yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer) player to lower her speaking volume, as diners at a hawker centre were looking at her.
That moment was one of many that helped the 42-year-old, who holds a master’s degree from the elite China Conservatory of Music, understand local social norms.
As she adapted to life here, she developed an interest in Singapore’s multicultural make-up, which inspired her to compose various works including a Chinese wind ensemble piece titled A Ditty Of Nyonya.
Her family is now settled here.
Ms Ma Huan, a musician with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, became a Singapore citizen in 2023.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MA HUAN
Ms Ma, now the vice-chairwoman of the Singapore Yangqin Association, became a Singapore citizen in 2023, together with her 11-year-old daughter. Her husband, a Chinese national working as a sales executive, obtained permanent residency in 2024 and moved over from Beijing.
More immigrants are expected to call Singapore home in the coming years as the birth rate plunges and its population ages rapidly.
With new projected inflow numbers announced in Parliament recently, the Government has also stressed the need to integrate newcomers, whether through structured programmes or community and individual efforts.
On Feb 26, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said Singapore’s preliminary total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 in 2025, and he warned that the citizen population could start shrinking by the early 2040s without new interventions.
DPM Gan committed to continued support for Singaporeans to start families – which he described as a “top priority” – but also laid out a plan for “carefully managed immigration flow” to augment the dismal birth rate.
Depending on demographic trends, the Government expects to grant 25,000 to 30,000 new citizenships annually over the next five years – which means from 17 per cent to 41 per cent more than the average of 21,300 new citizenships granted annually between 2020 and 2024.
The number of permanent residents (PRs) will also see a 21 per cent bump – from an average of 33,000 a year between 2020 and 2024, to about 40,000 a year in the next five years. Individuals must be PRs for at least two years before they can apply for citizenship.
In 2025, about 25,000 individuals became Singaporeans, while about 35,000 became PRs.
These moves reflect the Government’s belief that immigration is crucial to sustain the economy amid a low birth rate.
Apart from a shrinking workforce, there are also concerns about weakening family support networks for an ageing population.
“With fewer citizens, it will become increasingly difficult to meet our national security and defence needs. This raises the deeper question of what Singapore will be 50 or 100 years from now – will we remain vibrant, liveable and relevant? Will we exist?” said DPM Gan.
Concerns surrounding a growing number of foreigners have surfaced over the years, including in 2011 when anti-immigrant sentiment amid large numbers of newcomers contributed to the ruling party’s first-ever group representation constituency loss in the general election, said observers.
Institute of Policy Studies’ (IPS) Social Lab adjunct principal research fellow Tan Ern Ser said some Singaporeans felt that the actual and perceived competition for jobs and amenities had turned them into “second-class citizens”.
Dr Tan said that this later led to tightened immigration controls and a concerted emphasis on a Singaporean core and policies that stress the privileges of citizenship, which include subsidised healthcare, education and housing.
