PROGRESS OF THE MALAY COMMUNITY IN SINGAPORE

SINCE 1980

CONTENTS

Introduction Education Workforce and Income Social Profile Quality of Life Conclusion Annexes

2 3 9 12 17 20 21

Introduction

This report highlights the progress of the Malay/Muslim community since 1980. It updates a previous report published in 2001, and presents educational, economic, social, and quality of life indicators* which together give a comprehensive picture of the community.
*Figures in report are rounded up to 2 significant figures.

EDUCATION
Chart 1.1 Proportion of Students among Resident Population Aged 7 - 16 years (%)
100

1. More Malay Children Enrolled in Schools

The proportion of students among Malays in the age group 7 -16 years has risen from 85% in 1980 to 99% in 2005. The proportion is now the same as the national average.

98

96

94

92

90 Chinese Malay 86 Indian Overall 84 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

88

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 91 85 88 90

1990 97 94 95 97

1995 99 97 97 98

2000 99 97 98 98

2005 99 99 99 99

Source: Department of Statistics Note: Data for 1985 is not available.

2. Improved Educational Performance

Chart 2.1 Percentage of GCE O Level Students with at least Five O Level Passes (%)
100

More Malay students in each cohort obtain at least five O level passes, which enables them to progress to higher education. The proportion has increased steadily from 16% in 1980 to 63% in 2005.

80

60

40 Chinese Malay Indian Overall 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

20

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 44 16 34 40

1985 67 37 51 63

1990 73 43 58 69

1995 77 46 61 73

2000 83 53 66 78

2005 84 63 73 81

Source: Ministry of Education

Chart 2.2 Percentage of GCE A Level Students with at least Two A and Two AO Level Passes including General Paper (%)

Similarly, the proportion of Malay A level students who obtained at least two A and two AO level passes at the GCE A Level examination (including General Paper) has increased from 49% in 1980 to 84% in 2005.

100

80

60

40

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

20

0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 68 49 65 67

1985 66 58 70 66

1990 78 57 71 77

1995 87 72 84 86

2000 86 74 88 86

2005 92 84 90 91

Source: Ministry of Education

3. Improved Educational Attainment

100

Chart 3.1 Percentage of Primary One Cohort Admitted to Post-Secondary Institutions (%)

The proportion of a Malay P1 cohort admitted to post-secondary institutions (Institutes of Technical Education, Polytechnics, Junior Colleges / Centralised Institute) has more than doubled, from 36% in 1990 to 81% in 2005.

80

60

40

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

20

0 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1990 65 36 39 59

1995 73 45 50 68

2000 88 70 75 84

2005 96 81 90 93

Source: Ministry of Education Note: Data for 2005 is preliminary.

Chart 3.2 Percentage of Primary One Cohort Admitted to Tertiary Institutions (Polytechnics or Universities) (%)

The proportion of a Malay P1 cohort entering local publicly-funded tertiary institutions (polytechnics or universities) has increased from 1.3% in 1980 to 34% in 2005.

100 Chinese 80 60 40 20 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Malay Indian Overall

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 13 1.3 4.3 10

1985 27 5.8 9.7 22

1990 42 13 18 36

1995 56 18 28 50

2000 64 26 35 57

2005 69 34 39 60

Source: Ministry of Education

Chart 3.3 Percentage of Primary One Cohort Admitted to Local Publicly Funded Universities (%)

The proportion of a Malay P1 cohort entering local publicly-funded universities (National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University) has increased from 0.5% in 1980 to 5.4% in 2005.

60 Chinese 50 40 30 20 10 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Malay Indian Overall

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 5.9 0.5 3.5 4.9

1985 9.5 1.6 5.4 7.9

1990 17 2.9 8.0 15

1995 23 3.3 10 19

2000 25 3.8 9.3 21

2005 30 5.4 11 24

Source: Ministry of Education

4. Fewer School Dropouts

8

Chart 4.1 Primary School Dropouts per 1,000 Primary School Students

The number of primary school dropouts has decreased steadily over the years. Out of every 1,000 Malay primary school students, there were just 0.7 dropouts in 2005, compared to 6.8 in 1990. Refer to Annex A for data on the actual number of dropouts.

Chinese 6 Malay Indian Overall 4

0 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1990 1.9 6.8 6.1 3

1995 0.3 1.6 1.3 0.7

2000 0.2 1.2 0.6 0.4

2005 0.1 0.7 0.3 0.3

Source: Ministry of Education

Chart 4.2 Secondary School Dropouts per 1,000 Secondary School Students

The number of secondary school dropouts has also decreased. Out of every 1,000 Malay secondary school students, there were 7.3 dropouts in 2005, compared to 24 in 1990. Refer to Annex A for data on the actual number of dropouts.

25 Chinese Malay 20 Indian Overall 15

10

0 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

Source: Ministry of Education

1990 8.7 24 14 11

1995 7.6 16 9.4 9

2000 5.3 13 7.8 6.9

2005 3.3 7.3 4.4 4.2

5. Comparison with Other Countries Performance in Mathematics and Science

Table 5.1 Ranking in TIMSS 2003 for Top 30 Educational Systems (Secondary 2 /Grade 8) Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 MATHEMATICS Country SINGAPORE Korea, Rep. of Hong Kong, SAR Chinese Taipei Japan Singapore Malays Belgium (Flemish) Netherlands Estonia Hungary Malaysia Latvia Russian Federation Slovak Republic Australia United States Lithuania Sweden Scotland Israel New Zealand Slovenia Italy Armenia Serbia Bulgaria Romania International Average Norway Moldova, Rep. of Cyprus Macedonia, Rep. of SCIENCE Country SINGAPORE Chinese Taipei Korea, Rep. of Hong Kong, SAR Estonia Japan Hungary Netherlands United States Australia Sweden Slovenia New Zealand Lithuania Slovak Republic Singapore Malays Belgium (Flemish) Russian Federation Latvia Scotland Malaysia Norway Italy Israel Bulgaria Jordan International Average Moldova, Rep. of

Singapore Malay students perform much better in Mathematics and Science than students from many other educational systems. The 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) compared educational outcomes across 49 developed and developing countries. Singapore students came in 1st in both Mathematics and Science at Secondary 2. The Ministry of Education estimates that Singapore Malays ranked between 5th and 6th in Mathematics (up from between 6th and 7th position in 1999), and 15th and 16th in Science (up from between 19th and 20th position in 1999). These rankings are well above the international averages.

27 28 29 30

Romania Serbia Armenia Iran, Islamic Rep. of

Source: Ministry of Education

WORKFORCE & INCOME

Chart 6.1 Malay Resident Working Persons Aged 15 Years and Over By Highest Qualification Attained (%)
100 90

6. Improved Educational Profile of Malay Workforce

The educational profile of the Malay workforce has improved 70% of the resident workforce in 2005 attained secondary and higher qualifications, as compared to 19% in 1980. Refer to Annex B for data on Chinese and Indians in 2005.

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Below Secondary Upper Secondary University

Secondary Polytechnic

University Polytechnic Upper Secondary Secondary Below Secondary

1980 0.3 3.3 15.7 80.6

1990 0.8 1.2 6.5 37.9 53.7

1995 1.4 3.5 10.6 41.3 43.3

2000 3 4.3 17.7 37.9 37.1

2005 5.1 7.6 21.5 35.4 30.4

Source: Department of Statistics Note: 1) Polytechnic data for 1980 is not available separately and is included in the Upper Secondary category for year 1980. 2) Data for 1985 is not available.

7. Improved Occupational Profile

Chart 7.1 Occupational Distribution of Malay Resident Working Persons Aged 15 and Over (%)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005

Malay workers have experienced upward mobility in occupational profile. In 1980, only 7.2% of Malays were holding administrative and managerial, professional, and technical related jobs. This increased to 21% in 2005. Refer to Annex C for data on Chinese and Indians in 2005.

Cleaners & Labourers Sales & Services Technical & Related Administrative & Managerial

Production & Related Clerical Professional Others

1980 Others Administrative & Managerial Professional Technical & Related Clerical Sales & Services Production & Related Cleaners & Labourers 3.8 0.7 1.9 4.6 10.2 13.6 45.1 20.2

1990 3.0 1.1 2.2 8.4 16.0 15.4 37.7 16.2

1995 3.8 1.6 2.9 13.9 18.9 14.9 30.4 13.6

2000 2.3 2.9 4.1 16.4 20.0 16.2 27.5 10.7

2005 3.0 2.4 4.6 14.2 18.6 20.3 26.1 10.8

Source: Department of Statistics Note: Data for 1985 is not available.

10

8. Rising Income

Chart 8.1 Median Monthly Household Income from Work among Employed Households ($)

Households are doing better financially. Median monthly household income for Malays has more than tripled from below $800 in 1980 to $3,100 in 2005.

4,000

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

3,000

2,000

1,000

0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 Chinese Malay Indian Overall 920 770 800 890

1990 2,500 1,920 2,260 2,390

1995 3,500 2,560 3,130 3,330

2000 4,240 2,900 3,700 3,990

2005 4,570 3,050 4,120 4,320

Source: Department of Statistics Note: 1) Data consists of only employed households. 2) Data for 1980 is not directly comparable to subsequent years. 3) Data for 1985 is not available.

11

SOCIAL PROFILE
Chart 9.1 Female General Marriage Rate per 1,000 Unmarried Resident Females

9. Marriage and Family

The number of Malay marriages has declined following the national trend, although it remains higher than the other communities. In 2005, the marriage rate was 54 Malay females per 1,000 unmarried resident females. The corresponding figure in 1980 was 77.
.

90

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

70

50

30 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 67.0 77.3 73.6 68.9

1985 60.1 85.8 67.6 64.0

1990 55.1 95.5 69.5 60.9

1995 53.3 85.2 62.7 57.6

2000 47.2 67.1 50.7 49.9

2005 37.9 54.0 39.2 40.8

Source: Department of Statistics

Chart 9.2 Median Age of Brides at First Marriage (Years)

The median age of Malay brides at first marriage has increased, in line with the trend for Chinese and Indian brides. In 2005, the median age was 25 as compared to 23 in 1985.

28 27 26 25 24 23 22 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1985 Chinese Malay Indian Overall 24.7 22.8 23.9 24.3

1990 25.6 23.9 24.7 25.3

1995 25.8 24.1 25.1 25.6

2000 26.4 24.3 25.6 26.2

2005 27.2 24.7 25.7 26.9

Source: Department of Statistics

12

Chart 9.3 Total Fertility Rate per Resident Female

The total fertility rate (TFR) of Malays per resident female has decreased slightly from 2.2 in 1980 to 2.1 in 2005.

4.0 Chinese 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Malay Indian Overall

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 1.73 2.19 2.03 1.82

1985 1.46 2.28 1.78 1.61

1990 1.65 2.69 1.89 1.83

1995 1.51 2.5 1.71 1.67

2000 1.43 2.54 1.58 1.6

2005 1.08 2.07 1.25 1.25

Source: Department of Statistics

Malay females with higher educational qualifications are likely to have fewer children, just like other communities. Refer to Annex D for data on Chinese and Indians in 2005.

Chart 9.4 Average Number of Children Born to Malay Resident Females Aged 40 49 Years By Highest Qualification Attained, 2005
3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0

No Qualifications

Prim ary

Sec

Upper Sec

Poly

University

No Qualification 2.60

Pri 2.66

Sec 2.53

Upper Sec 2.28

Poly 2.06

Uni 1.87

Source: Department of Statistics

13

Chart 9.5 Female General Divorce Rate per 1,000 Married Resident Females

The number of divorces is growing. In 2005, the divorce rate was 16 Malay females per 1,000 married resident females, as compared to 6.9 in 1980.

20 16

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

12 8

4 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 3.1 6.9 5.6 3.8

1985 3.6 8.8 6.7 4.6

1990 5.1 10.3 7.5 6.1

1995 5.4 9.6 7.6 6.2

2000 4.9 12.8 6.4 6.5

2005 6.6 15.5 7.1 7.9

Source: Department of Statistics

There is a steady rise in the number of single-parent households. Out of every 1,000 resident Malay households, 70 were headed by single parents in 2005, as compared to 47 in 1990.

Chart 9.6 Resident Households Headed by Single Parents per 1,000 Resident Households with at least One Child Aged Below 16 Years of Age

70 60 50 40 30 1990

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1995

2000

2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1990 39 47 50 41

1995 35 51 45 38

2000 40 58 51 44

2005 46 70 48 50

Source: Department of Statistics Note: Single parents refer to household heads who are single, widowed, divorced or separated and living with at least 1 child aged below 16 years.

14

Chart 9.7 Single Parent-Registered Births per 10,000 Female Residents

The number of births registered by single Malay parents has also been rising. Such births per 10,000 female residents have increased from 5.9 in 1990 to 9.3 in 2005.

10 Chinese Malay 6 Indian Overall

0 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1990 2.5 5.9 8.8 3.4

1995 1.7 5.6 5.1 2.5

2000 1.4 8.2 4.5 2.7

2005 1.1 9.3 3.7 2.5

Source: Immigration and Checkpoints Authority

10. Teenage Sexuality

30

Chart 10.1 Proportion of Brides Aged 20 Years and Below (%)

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

Minor marriages remain relatively common, although the proportion has decreased from 31% of all Malay brides in 1980 to 13% in 2005.

25 20 15 10 5 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 13.4 30.5 26.6 17

1985 8.7 24.0 19.3 12.2

1990 5.7 17.1 12 8.2

1995 3.8 14.8 10.7 5.9

2000 3.8 15.1 9.6 5.8

2005 2.7 12.7 7.6 5.1

Source: Department of Statistics

15

Chart 10.2 Teenage Births per 1,000 Female Residents Aged 10-19 Years

Teenage births remain high, although lower than before. In 2005, there were 11 Malay teenage births per 1,000 female residents (aged 10 to 19).

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Chinese Malay Indian Overall

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1980 5.2 13.4 10.5 7.1

1985 3.0 13.6 7.2 5.1

1990 2.6 13.3 8.2 4.6

1995 1.8 9.6 4.8 3.3

2000 2.5 11.1 4.7 4.4

2005 1.5 10.6 3.4 3.5

Source: Ministry of Health

11. Decline in Drug Abuse

Chart 11.1 Resident Youth Drug Abusers per 10,000 Residents Aged 15-29 Years

Drug abuse has plummeted. The number of Malay drug abusers per 10,000 residents (aged 15 29) has decreased from 170 in 1990 to 6.7 in 2005.

160

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

120

80

40

0 1990 1995 2000 2005

Chinese Malay Indian Overall

1990 13.5 166.7 83.7 42.7

1995 10.3 173.1 96.5 39.5

2000 5.8 62.6 27.9 15.5

2005 6.2 6.7 3.9 6.1

Source: Central Narcotics Bureau

16

QUALITY OF LIFE
Chart 12.1 Home Ownership Rate among Resident Households (%)
100

12. Better Housing

Home ownership is high. In 2005, 93% of Malay households owned the homes they lived in. In 1980, only half of Malay households owned homes.

90

80

70 Chinese 60 Malay Indian Overall 40 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

50

1980 Chinese Malay Indian Overall 61.9 49.7 42.2 58.8

1990 87.5 92.3 80.9 87.5

1995 90.8 89.9 85 90.2

2000 92.9 93.5 86.8 92.3

2005 92.9 93.2 83.1 91.7

Source: Department of Statistics Note: Data for 1985 is not available.

17

Chart 12.2 Distribution of Type of Dwelling among Malay Resident Households (%)

More households are living in bigger homes. The proportion living in 4-room and bigger flats and private housing increased from 11% in 1980 to 71% in 2005. Refer to Annex E for data on Chinese and Indians in 2005.

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1- & 2- Rm HDB Flats 4-Rm HDB Flats Private Housing

3-Rm HDB Flats 5-Rm and Exec HDB Flats Others

Others Private Housing 5-Rm and Exec HDB Flats 4-Rm HDB Flats 3-Rm HDB Flats 1- & 2- Rm HDB Flats

1980 25.7 2.7 1.6 6.7 32.7 30.6

1985 9.6 1.2 2.5 11.5 47.9 27.4

1990 1.9 1.6 9.3 30.4 49.7 7.1

1995 0.5 1.4 13.6 33.5 41.1 9.9

2000 0.2 1.5 22.3 41.1 28.4 6.5

2005 0.2 2.3 27.3 41.7 22.1 6.4

Source: Department of Statistics Note: Others include other HDB dwellings, non-HDB shophouses, attap/zinc-roofed houses and other public flats.

18

13. Higher Ownership of Consumer Durables

Chart 13.1 Malay Resident Households with Specific Consumer Durables (%) Consumer Item Basic Telephone Handphone Washing Machine Refrigerator Television Luxury Car Motorcycle / Scooter Personal Computer Laser / Video / CD Player Microwave Oven Air Conditioner Cable TV Subscription Internet Subscription 1992 95 1.1 89 98 99 13 23 7.9 12 21 7.9 1998 96 40 95 100 100 16 27 37 61 38 28 18 11 2003 90 87 96 99 99 23 23 64 87 62 47 36 44

Ownership of consumer durables has increased steadily. In 2003, more Malay households owned cars (23%), airconditioners (47%), mobile phones (87%), personal computers (64%), and laser/VCD players (87%) than before. Refer to Annex F for data on Chinese and Indians in 2003.

Source: Department of Statistics Note: Data includes all households in the Household Expenditure Survey (including one-person households).

14. Places of Worship

130,000

Chart 14.1 Number of Prayer Spaces

120,000

Between 1990 and 2005, the Islamic Council of Singapore (MUIS) has developed 11 new generation mosques in HDB new towns, half of which replaced old mosques. In addition, MUIS has also helped to redevelop and upgrade 13 existing mosques. The mosque development/upgrading programme over the last fifteen years has provided about 43,500 more prayer spaces for the Muslim community.

110,000

100,000

90,000

80,000

70,000

60,000 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1980 65,645

1985 73,460

1990 77,970

1995 91,220

2000 97020

2005 121,520

Source: Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS)

19

15. Conclusion

The overall well-being of the Malay/Muslim community has improved considerably over the last 25 years. More Malay/Muslim children are now attending schools. The number of school dropouts has decreased significantly, especially at the primary level. Educational outcomes have also improved, with more Malays making it to post-secondary education. Success in education has fed through and raised the socio-economic status of the Malay/Muslim community. Malay/Muslims are holding higher-skilled and better-paying jobs. Incomes have gone up. The quality of life, as measured by housing type and possession of consumer durables has also improved. However, several social challenges remain. Divorce rates are rising. There are high rates of early marriages and teenage pregnancies. The number of single-parent families is also high. The progress which has been achieved equips the Malay/Muslim community to tackle these remaining challenges resolutely and decisively.

20

ANNEXES
Annex A
Chart A1: Number of Primary School Dropouts
800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Chinese Malay Indian Total 1990 355 279 110 751 1995 64 74 26 165 2000 44 66 16 127 2005 27 36 8 71

Source: Ministry of Education

Chart A2: Number of Secondary School Dropouts

1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 Chinese Malay Indian Total 1990 1105 415 123 1664 1995 1024 421 114 1576 2000 645 386 107 1152 2005 491 282 75 860

Source: Ministry of Education

21

Annex B

Chart B1: Resident Working Persons Aged 15 Years and Over By Highest Qualification Attained, 2005 (%)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 University Polytechnic Upper Secondary Secondary Below Secondary

Chinese 23.6 11.5 17.3 21.7 26

Malay 5.1 7.6 21.5 35.4 30.4

Indian 28.5 7.7 18.7 23.2 21.8

Overall 22.4 10.7 17.9 23.2 25.8

Source: Department of Statistics

22

Annex C

Chart C1: Occupational Distribution of Resident Working Persons Aged 15 and Over, 2005 (%)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Others Administrative & Managerial Professional Technical & Related Clerical Sales & Services Production & Related Cleaners & Labourers

Chinese 3.4 14.6 12.6 20.1 13.6 13.8 16.7 5.2

Malay 3.0 2.4 4.6 14.2 18.6 20.3 26.1 10.8

Indian 4.0 11.4 18.2 17.1 14.0 14.7 13.7 6.8

Overall 3.4 13.1 12.4 19.3 14.1 14.5 17.3 5.9

Source: Department of Statistics

23

Annex D

Chart D1: Average Number of Children Born among Resident Females Aged 40 49 by Highest Qualification Attained, 2005
3

2.5

1.5

0.5

No Qualification 1.91 2.60 2.19 2.04

Primary 1.91 2.66 2.18 2.05

Sec 1.69 2.53 1.89 1.85

Upper Sec 1.49 2.28 1.85 1.59

Poly 1.56 2.06 1.97 1.60

University 1.43 1.87 1.63 1.47

Chinese Malays Indians Overall

Source: Department of Statistics

24

Annex E

Chart E1: Distribution of Type of Dwelling Among Resident Households, 2005 (%)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Others Private Housing 5-Rm and Exec HDB Flats 4-Rm HDB Flats 3-Rm HDB Flats 1- & 2- Rm HDB Flats

Chinese 0.8 16.3 26.9 31.4 20.6 4.0

Malay 0.2 2.3 27.3 41.7 22.1 6.4

Indian 1.0 12.9 26.6 32.7 20.6 6.0

Overall 0.8 14.8 26.9 32.5 20.7 4.4

Source: Department of Statistics Note: Others include other HDB dwellings, non-HDB shophouses, attap/zinc-roofed houses and other public flats.

25

Annex F

Table F1: Resident Households with Specific Consumer Durables, 2003 (%)

Consumer Item Basic Telephone Handphone Washing Machine Refrigerator Television Luxury Car Motorcycle / Scooter Personal Computer Laser / Video / CD Player Microwave Oven Air Conditioner Cable TV Subscription Internet Subscription
Source: Department of Statistics

Chinese

Malay

Indian

Overall

94 90 92 99 98 39 6.4 71 83 52 76 32 57

90 87 96 99 99 23 23 64 87 62 47 36 44

94 87 96 98 98 22 8.6 72 81 69 64 67 58

93 89 93 99 98 35 8.7 70 83 55 72 35 56

26