Every 4th person in Singapore is an Indian
With the number of settlers from India almost doubling in the last two years, every fourth person in Singapore now belongs the Indian community, which is showing much interest in setting up firms in the island state. The city has a population of 1.79 million, including expatriates, and out of that 400,000 are of Indian origin, showing a 100% increase in the community size in two years.
According to The Straits Times, the number of Indians setting up companies in Singapore has also doubled to 3,000 this year from 1,500 in 2006. They are doing business mainly in information technology, finance, trade and food items.
City?s friendly environment for foreigners and Tamil being the official fourth language, after English, Chinese and Malay, are the major attractions for the expatriates who mainly belongs to southern states of India, Nikhilesh Gupta, president of the Bengali Association Singapore, was quoted as saying to the daily.
The mass migration of Indians to the island only began with the founding of modern Singapore by the British in 1819. Initially, the Indian population was transient, mainly comprising young men who came as workers, soldiers and convicts. By the mid-20th century, a settled community had emerged, with a more balanced gender ratio and a better spread of age groups.
Singapore?s Indian population is notable for its class stratification, with large elite and lower income groups. This has grown more visible since the 1990s with an influx of both well-educated and unskilled migrants from India, which has created new contradictions. Today, Indians earn higher average monthly incomes than the Chinese or Malays and are more likely to hold a university degree than these groups. At the same time, Indian primary and secondary school students perform lower than the national average at major examinations.
Singapore Indians are linguistically and religiously diverse, with ethnic Tamils and Hindus forming majorities. The ‘Little India’ Arcade, a labyrinth of shops selling all things Indian, on Serangoon Road is a testimony to that. An Indian visitor to the city state will be pleasantly surprised by the presence of Indian temples, restaurants, grocery shops and even fortune-tellers.
THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
Capital: Singapore
Location: An island and islets between Malaysia and Indonesia
Area : 682.7 sq km
Climate : Tropical. Hot and sunny all year, with two monsoon seasons
Govt. : Parliamentary republic
Population : 5.08 million
Median age of residents : 37.4
Ethnic groups :
Chinese 74%, Malay 13%, Indian 9.2%
Language : Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English?all official languages
Literacy : Over 90%
Major industries : Electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling & refining, rubber processing and processed food & beverages
Currency : Singapore dollar
International country code: +65