Singapore's population grows at slowest in more than a decade

SINGAPORE, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Singapore's population rose 1.2 percent over the past year, the slowest in more than a decade, as it tried to reduce numbers of foreign workers, while long-standing efforts to encourage citizens to have more children bore some fruit.

The total population stood at 5.54 million as of June 2015, according to data released on Wednesday, including 3.38 million citizens.

The citizen population continued to age, with 13.1 percent 65 or older, compared with 12.4 percent last year, due to slowing fertility rates and increasing life expectancy.

Singapore has for years tried to get its well-educated and well-off citizens to have more children, with little success but births in 2014 rose 7 percent, to 33,193, close to the 2012 level, which was the highest in a decade.

Increasing numbers of foreign workers led to grumbling about high property prices and crowded public transport and in response, the government has been curbing numbers, exacerbating a labour crunch, particularly in manufacturing, services and construction.

Businesses faced a tight labour market but help was at hand, the government said in its 2015 population report.