SINGAPORE - The total population here grew by 0.5 per cent in the 12-month period ending in June 2018 to reach 5.64 million, an increase of 30,000 buoyed mainly by births among Singaporeans as well as the addition of new citizens.

The new rate is an increase over the previous 12-month period when the population grew by 0.1 per cent, which was the slowest in more than a decade.

Of the 5.64 million, the number of Singapore citizens went up to 3.47 million, according to the annual Population in Brief report, released on Thursday (Sept 27).

The rest comprises permanent residents and non-residents, who include people who are here to work, their dependants and international students.

The number of PRs remained relatively stable at 0.52 million while that of non-residents totalled 1.64 million.

There was a slight decline in foreign employment, of around 10,000 people, during the 12-month period. This was mainly due to the decrease in the number of Work Permit Holders in the construction and marine shipyard sectors.

Meanwhile, the number of citizen births totalled 32,356, a 2.4 per cent drop against that in 2016.

Still, the figure is higher than the average of the past decade of about 32,200 births.

The resident total fertility rate, however, fell from 1.20 in 2016 to 1.16 last year - the lowest in seven years. The rate needed to replace the population is 2.1.

On the other hand, Singapore continues to age, with 15.2 per cent of the people aged 65 and older compared with 14.4 per cent in the previous period.