SINGAPORE – The share of families with monthly incomes of at least $30,000 has almost doubled in the past five years, with about one in seven households earning this amount in 2025.
In 2025, 13.4 per cent of resident households have a monthly market income of $30,000 or more, up from 7.4 per cent in 2020.
Market income refers to income from employment and non-employment sources, such as rental and investment earnings.
According to the General Household Survey, which was released by the Department of Statistics on June 30, the proportion of resident households earning at least $12,000 a month rose from 38.2 per cent in 2020 to 51.6 per cent in 2025.
The 135-page report covered a snapshot of trends across areas like marriage, income, education and housing.
It noted that the share of resident households in the higher income brackets rose between 2020 and 2025, in line with rising median household market incomes.
In 2025, the median household market income for resident households was $12,446 – the first time it crossed the $12,000 mark. It was up from $9,099 in 2020, which meant it rose by 3.2 per cent per annum after adjusting for inflation.
This $12,446 figure was first released in February in the Key Household Income Trends 2025 report.
The General Household Survey report stated that all three major ethnic groups saw their household market income rise in real terms, or after adjusting for inflation, between 2020 and 2025.
Indian families saw the largest increase at 3.5 per cent per annum, followed by Chinese at 3.1 per cent. The rise for Malay families was 2.3 per cent.
In 2025, the median household market income for Indians was $13,382 a month, $12,969 for Chinese and $8,581 for Malays.
Employment remains the primary source of income for families in Singapore, comprising almost 80 per cent of their total income.
Meanwhile, couples where both the husband and wife work are more common.
In 2025, 56.6 per cent of married couples were dual-income families, up from 52.5 per cent in 2020.
Over the same period, the share of households where only the husband was employed fell from 24.9 per cent in 2020 to 21 per cent in 2025.
The share of married couples where only the wife was working remained stable. In 2025, this figure was 7.5 per cent, up marginally from 7.4 per cent in 2020.
