SINGAPORE: The Department of Statistics (DOS) said Singapore registered a lower population growth this year due to the slower growth in the number of permanent residents and non-residents.

In the advance release of the 2010 Population Census, DOS said Singapore's total population grew 1.8 per cent to 5.08 million as at end June.

The number of permanent residents grew by 1.5 per cent, down from at least six per cent growth annually, between 2005 and 2009.

Growth in the number of non-residents also slowed to 4.1 per cent, down from the peaks of 15 per cent in 2007 and 19 per cent in 2008.

The number of Singapore citizens increased by 0.9 per cent between 2009 and 2010.

DOS said the resident population has grown older, with the median age going up to 37.4 years this year from 34 years in 2000.

The inflow of permanent residents has reduced the pace of ageing.

In 2010, the old-age support ratio for the resident population was 8.2, higher than the old-age support ratio of 7.2 for the citizen population.

The old-age ratio is the number of persons aged 15 to 64 years per elderly persons aged 65 years and over.

The decline in the old-age support ratio among the resident population between 2000 and 2010 was also slower than that for the citizen population.

The Chinese formed 74 per cent of the resident population, while the Malays and Indians took up 13 per cent and 9.2 per cent of the population share.

Bedok has the largest group of Singapore residents with 294,500, followed by Jurong West with 267,500 and Tampines with 261,700.

Sengkang recorded the largest growth in the number of Singapore residents, with an increase of 105,800 Singapore residents between 2000 and 2010.

Bedok also had the largest number of elderly residents aged 65 years and over.

Other relatively older estates such as Bukit Merah and Ang Mo Kio had larger populations of elderly residents.

The advance report is the first release of data from the 2010 Population Census.