Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will see his annual salary increase by 64% to S$3.6m (£2.1 m) from October 15. This boost is part of a wider raise for all ministers, with some junior ministers potentially earning up to S$1.8m per year. The country's political leaders already have high salaries, which are meant to attract talent and deter corruption, but the increases have sparked controversy, particularly given that the median wage worker in Singapore earns around S$5,775 a month. Prime Minister Wong has acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue and stated his intention to donate his increment to charity for five years.
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Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's salary is set to increase by £800,000 per year, making his annual pay £2.1 million as of October 15th. This represents a 64% boost in pay from his current salary of £1.3 million. Wong acknowledged the controversy surrounding political salaries, which are already among the highest in the world. The median monthly wage for a Singaporean worker is S$5,775, making the increased salaries seem extravagant to many citizens. In comparison, the UK Prime Minister earns £170,171 per year and the US President earns £296,000. Wong has announced that he will donate his increment to charity for the next five years.
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Ministerial salaries in Singapore, already among the world’s highest, will go up from 15 October, boosting the prime minister's annual pay by 64 per cent to S$3.6m (£2.1 m) from S$2.2 m (£1.3m).
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salaries → go → m
Singapore pays its political leaders high salaries to attract talent and deter corruption, but the issue is thorny in the city-state, where the median wage worker makes about S$5,775 a month.
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worker → pay → S$5,775
Prime minister Lawrence Wong acknowledged the sensitivity of the matter in a parliamentary speech, saying political salaries were a difficult and emotive topic.
“The sums involved are more than what most citizens earn, so I understand why Singaporeans scrutinise them closely and why many feel strongly about the matter," Mr Wong said on Tuesday, adding that he would donate his increment to charity for the next five years.
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he → acknowledge → years
But it was not just a matter of pay, he argued.
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he → argue → pay
"It is ultimately about whether Singapore will continue to have the quality of political leadership we need to take our country forward and to serve Singaporeans well in the years ahead.”
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we → continue → years
In comparison, the UK prime minister makes £170,171 a year while the US president earns £296,000, according to data from Political Salaries, a non-profit, which ranks the Singapore prime minister as the highest-paid world leader.
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which → make → leader
The dataset shows the Hong Kong chief executive is the second-highest earner globally with £532,000 annually, followed by the Swiss president at £448,000.
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executive → show → 448,000
A Singapore junior minister with a salary of S$1.1m will get up to S$1.8m a year now, depending on performance and responsibilities.
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minister → get → performance
The increment for political office holders will start with a one-off increase of up to 9 per cent, with subsequent adjustments based on performance, rather than an immediate jump.
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increment → start → performance
By the end of this term of government, most junior ministers will earn about S$1.35m and those who do well can "move higher", said Mr Wong.
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Wong → earn → m
Singapore last adjusted ministerial salaries in 2012, when ministers took a pay cut of 36 per cent to allay public discontent about how much they earned.
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they → adjust → much
Lawmakers will debate the issue in the parliament on Thursday.
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Lawmakers → debate → Thursday
The announcement provoked strong reactions on social media, with some users on Reddit calling the pay adjustment "tone deaf" while others said that the hikes would be justified if ministers did a better job of navigating challenging times.
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ministers → provoke → times
Opposition parties did not issue statements.
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parties → issue → statements
Mr Wong said that it was "easier politically" for him to leave things as they were but that "would not be the right thing to do" as salaries in the private sector, civil service, judicial service and public sector had moved higher since 2012.
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salaries → say → 2012
After the 2012 pay cut, salaries were reviewed again in 2017 but the government chose not to adopt a recommendation to hike.
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government → review → recommendation
A second review due in 2023 was deferred until now because of economic uncertainty.
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review → defer → uncertainty
Singapore uses the salaries of the top 1,000 earners in the country as the benchmark for ministerial pay as their qualities and abilities “reflect the desired calibre of the people whom Singapore needs for good government", the Public Service Division says on its website.
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Division → use → website
Referring to the benchmark, Chong Ja Ian, political scientist at the National University of Singapore, said: "Given rising income disparity, this could mean that ministers associate more with the very rich rather than the experiences of ordinary Singaporeans”.
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ministers → refer → Singaporeans
Although cases of graft in government are rare in Singapore, they do exist.
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they → exist → Singapore
In a recent case, former transport minister S Iswaran was jailed in 2024 for obstructing justice and receiving over $300,000 worth of gifts.
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Iswaran → jail → gifts
