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Why does Singapore top
so many tables?
Singapore is a small nation
with few of its own natural resources. Yet in the past 50 years it has
transformed itself into one of the world's economic powerhouses. Here, Tenna
Schoer, a Danish journalist based in Singapore, counts some of the measures
where the country comes top of the class.
1. Low crime rate
Take a ride on the subway in Singapore and you'll quickly notice that it is
only the tourists firmly holding on to their bags. The locals are very relaxed
about their belongings and show no hint of fear that somebody might snatch
their smartphone. Unsurprising perhaps when you consider that Singapore has one the lowest crime rates in the world.
Crime has fallen in each of the past three years. Last year had the lowest
recorded crime rate in more than two decades - there were 80 days in which not
a single robbery or "snatch theft" was recorded.
Not only do you not need to worry about your belongings, your life isn't in
very much danger either.
According to UN data, Singapore has the second lowest murder rate in the world
(Data excludes tiny Palau and Monaco.)
Only 16 people were murdered in 2011 in a
country with a population of 5.1 million. Compare that to similarly sized
Norway which had 111 murders and Slovakia with 96 murders in the same year.
You don't have to look that hard to discover why this might be, though. The
little city state is well known for its harsh punishments for crime, even for
low-level offences. Recently, a security guard was sentenced to three months in
jail and three strokes of the cane for spray-painting "democracy" on
a war memorial.
The police are also putting in place a network of cameras that will eventually
cover all public housing blocks and car parks. In Singapore there are seemingly
few concerns about "big brother is watching" when it comes to
fighting crime.
2. The healthiest people in the world
Keeping fit and losing
weight is official government policy
When the sun is up, so
are Singaporeans, doing their morning exercise. Take an early stroll in the
beautiful Botanical Gardens and you'll find young and old, men and women
jogging around the pond or doing tai chi.
Maybe that's one of the reasons why Singaporeans are ranked as the healthiest
people in the world. Based on health-related indicators from the United
Nations, World Bank and the World Health Organization for 145 countries with at
least one million people, one survey placed Singapore in an overall first place with
a health grade of 89.45%.
However, like most developed countries Singapore is also seeing an increase in
obesity. So, in order to shape a healthier workforce, the country's Health
Promotion Board recently announced the "1 million KG challenge".
This campaign is trying to get Singaporeans to collectively lose one million
kilograms within the next three years through more physical activity and
healthier eating behaviours.
3. The easiest place to do business
Roughly, half of those living in Singapore are here on a temporary basis,
working for the many foreign companies that have a regional office in
Singapore.
These businesses didn't just choose the city state because of its convenient
location close to the rest of Asia and the Pacific.
Last year, Singapore was named by the World Bank for the seventh consecutive
year as the best country to do business in. The
bank highlighted Singapore's standards for trading across borders, dealing with
construction permits and protecting investors.
4. The largest manufacturer of jack-up oil rigs
Singapore is a leader
in the construction of jack-up offshore oil rig platforms
Singapore doesn't have
a drop of oil to its name but it dominates the oil industry in one crucial
sector: it is the world's biggest maker of jack-up rigs, the platforms used for
off-shore oil exploration and drilling.
Since the 13th Century, the country has benefited from its strategic location
at the confluence of major shipping lanes through the Strait of Malacca. Today,
it remains a magnet for the world's shipping industry.
Until recently, when it was overtaken by Shanghai, Singapore was the largest
port in the world.
Out of its shipping heritage grew two giants of the oil industry, the local
conglomerates Keppel and SembCorp, which have been transformed from humble ship
repair centres to global leaders, helping Singapore command 70% of the world market.
The Singaporean marine and offshore industry employs some to 75,000 workers and
had a total output of 12.9bn Singapore dollars (US10.3bn, £6.42bn) in 2011, one
of the fastest growing sectors in the country's economy.
5. One of the least corrupt countries in the world
Situated in a region where corruption is sometimes a part of life, it's notable
that Singapore scores as well as it does in the international rankings for
corruption, currently number five on the list of least corrupt countries in the world.
Most Singaporeans praise the Republic's first and long-serving prime minister,
Lee Kuan Yew, for building an environment almost free of corruption. But
several years before Mr Lee took office, Singapore decided to fight corruption
by establishing the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau in 1952 in order to
attract foreign businesses to invest in their land.
Today, when it comes to any kind of corruption the country doesn't distinguish
between white or blue collar crime. It tries all cases according to Singapore's
stringent penal code, with long-term jail terms and large fines up to 100,000
Singapore dollars (£50,000).
Singapore also keeps the salaries of politicians and civil servants high in
order to repress economic incentive to engage in corrupt activity.
6. Where millionaires are minted in the shortest time
Conspicuous wealth is
rarely hidden away in Singapore
Take a walk in almost
any residential car park in Singapore and you'll find a handful of luxury cars
such as high-end Audis, BMWs and Mercedes, a couple of Jaguars, and at least
one Ferrari or Maserati.
This luxury doesn't come cheap in the first place, never mind after adding a
car sales tax rate of 150% plus the 84,000 Singapore dollars ($42,000) it costs
to obtain the certificate to own the car. (Not to mention the 90kph/60mph speed
limit in Singapore.)
But wealthy Singaporeans don't mind spending several hundred thousand dollars
on a luxury car. Why? Because they can.
According to a recent wealth report from Barclays Bank,
over half of Singapore's wealthy people have taken less than 10 years to
accumulate the majority of their wealth, the quickest rate across the globe.
Not only does money grow fast, the concentration of millionaires is also among
the highest in the world. With 8.8% of the population with a private wealth of
at least one million US dollars, Singapore comes in as number five on that
list.
7. Top of the class
Education is a top
priority for government, with teachers held in high regard
In 1965, Prime
Minister Lee Kuan Yew created the master plan behind the modern Singapore, a
"first-world oasis in a third-world region", as the now 90-year-old
Mr Lee has put it.
Having few natural resources, Singapore invested heavily in education in order
to build and maintain a well-educated work force. Currently, approximately 20%
of government spending goes into education.
According to the latest OECD report on education performance around the world,
it seems like that effort is paying off.
Based on rankings achieved in mathematics, science and reading literature,
Singapore comes second in the overall results, just behind Shanghai. Some 12.3%
of students in Singapore attain the highest levels of proficiency in all three
assessment subjects.
Students work hard and do more hours of maths and science than the OECD
average. Not only do the students feel a notable pressure from their
"tiger parents" as well as the society in whole, there's also a sharp
focus on the teachers.
Teaching in Singapore is a highly respected profession. They are selected from
the top third of each cohort, and to keep them on track with the newest
teaching techniques they are entitled to 100 hours of professional development
every year.
The country's education system is often criticized for not producing
"out-of-the-box" thinkers, but efforts are being made to change that.
The Ministry of Education recently cut academic content to create space for
schools to develop critical thinking.
8. The lowest drug abuse in the world
Most places in the world have a neighbourhood known for its drug problem, but
not Singapore. The country has the lowest level of drug abuse in the world when
it comes to opiates, cocaine and ecstasy, and the second lowest for cannabis
and amphetamines, according to a UN World Drug Report.
Punishments for possessing drugs are harsh - possession or consumption of
cannabis can earn you up to 10 years in prison, a 20,000 Singapore dollar
(£10,000) fine, or both. And the zero-tolerance approach can also mean a
mandatory death sentence.
Getting caught trafficking 30 grams of cocaine or 15 grams of heroin will put
you on death row, where some 34 people are currently facing execution.
9. The third-largest gambling market
Singapore's casinos
now contribute significantly to the economy
The quick moves of the
slim hand reveal both anxiety and routine as the young woman places her bet on
the roulette. In front of her are stacked several piles of tokens worth more
than 5,000 Singapore dollars.
It is Thursday night and the giant casino is buzzing. Singapore legalised
gambling only three years ago and licensed two large casinos to attract more
tourists. Visitor numbers have jumped nearly 50% since.
What's more, the casino industry paid 2.2bn Singapore dollars (£1.1bn) in tax
and contributes an estimated 1.5-2% to Singapore's GDP.
There is a long tradition of gambling but to keep scandals (and suicides) to a
minimum, locals have to pay an entrance fee of 100 Singapore dollars, whereas a
foreign passport gives you free access to the glittery machines and freedom to
win or, more often, lose money.
Singapore's casino industry pulled in an impressive US$5.85bn in 2012, up 8% on
the year before, putting it in third place globally. That's
close to Las Vegas' US$6.2bn, but some distance from the world's number one
gambling market, Macau, which generated US$38bn.
Though the Singapore casinos have seen a decrease in visitors as the novelty
factor fades away they still attract around 17,000 people a day.
10. The most unhappy people in the world
In Singapore you can find almost anything you desire but one thing in short
supply, apparently, is happiness.
A recent Gallup report revealed that Singapore's wealthy population is the unhappiest, or least positive, in the world,
less happy than people in Iraq, Haiti, Afghanistan and Syria.
When asked if they had been well-rested, treated with respect, if they had
smiled or laughed a lot, and had done or learnt something, only 46% of the
Singaporeans replied "yes".
