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Policy profile on 12 axes

How Singapore Is Governed

Singapore is a unitary state that scores 0.36 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 16% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is in use and same-sex marriage is banned in law. Below: the laws, institutions and public spending of Singapore, scored on the same 12 axes as the test, with every indicator and source.

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Policy profile

The 12 axes, indicator by indicator

This profile describes the country's policy regime (laws, institutions and public spending) from published indices, not the views of its people or its current leaders. Data as of October 2026; each value shows its own year.

Ownership+0.40PublicPrivate4 indicators and sources
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): State controls major firms in several sectors beyond utilities (energy, banking, telecom, mining, transport) (2026). Temasek-linked companies (Singtel, DBS stake, SIA, utilities) are a large share of the listed market. Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Property Rights (0-100): 89.2 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Investment Freedom (0-100): 90 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Financial Freedom (0-100): 80 (2026). Source
Markets+0.65PlannedFree5 indicators and sources
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Business Freedom (0-100): 90.6 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Labor Freedom (0-100): 77 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Monetary Freedom (0-100): 83.5 (2026). Source
  • Regulatory Quality, estimate (-2.5 to 2.5): 2.11 (2025). Source
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): State controls major firms in several sectors beyond utilities (energy, banking, telecom, mining, transport) (2026). Temasek-linked companies (Singtel, DBS stake, SIA, utilities) are a large share of the listed market. Source
Welfare+0.85SharedSelf-reliant3 indicators and sources
  • General government total expenditure (% of GDP): 15.51 (2025). Source
  • Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP): 2.63 (2023). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Tax Burden (0-100): 89.5 (2026). Source
Authority-0.10DemocraticStrong leader2 indicators and sources
  • Liberal Democracy Index (0-1): 0.36 (2025). Source
  • Judicial constraints on the executive (0-1): 0.87 (2025). Source
Security+0.40LibertyOrder4 indicators and sources
  • Freedom in the World civil liberties score (0-60): 29 (2025). Source
  • World Press Freedom Index score (0-100): 44.57 (2026). Source
  • Death penalty status: Retentionist, executions in the last 5 years (2025). Source
  • Prison population per 100,000 people: 178 (2024). Source
Structure+1.00LocalCentral2 indicators and sources
  • Territorial form of the state: Unitary state (2025). Source
  • Strong elected regional governments index (0-1): 0 (2025). Source
Morality-0.10ProgressiveTraditional3 indicators and sources
  • Same-sex marriage law (0 marriage, 1 civil union or partnership, 2 no recognition, 3 constitutional or statutory ban): Same-sex marriage banned in law (2026). Source
  • Abortion law: On request (within a gestational limit) (2025). Source
  • Women, Business and the Law: Legal Framework Index (0-100): 66.68 (2025). Source
Religion-0.35SecularReligious2 indicators and sources
  • Religion and the state: Separation: no official or funded religion (2025). Source
  • Blasphemy or religious-insult law in force: In force (2025). Source
Technology-0.05EmbraceCaution3 indicators and sources
  • Research and development expenditure (% of GDP): 1.81 (2022). Source
  • Nuclear power policy: No nuclear power, no legal ban (2025). Source
  • Genetically modified crop cultivation: None grown, no ban (2025). Source
Culture-0.10MulticulturalNational identity4 indicators and sources
  • International migrant stock (% of population): 48.72 (2024). Source
  • Citizenship by birth in the territory: None: citizenship by descent only (2025). Source
  • Residence required for ordinary naturalization (years; 0 = no ordinary route): 4 years (2025). Permanent residents may apply after about two years; grants are discretionary. Review. Source
  • Dual citizenship for naturalizing adults: Not allowed: must renounce (2025). Source
Trade-1.00GlobalProtected4 indicators and sources
  • Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%): 0 (2022). Source
  • Tariff rate, applied, simple mean, all products (%): 0.05 (2022). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Trade Freedom (0-100): 95 (2026). Source
  • Trade (exports + imports) (% of GDP): 320.31 (2025). Source
Foreign policy+0.35CooperationStrength5 indicators and sources
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 3.05 (2025). Source
  • Military conscription: Universal compulsory service (2025). Source
  • Nuclear weapons status (0 none, 1 considers, 2 pursues, 3 possesses): No nuclear weapons program (2023). Source
  • Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Not a party (never joined, signed only, or withdrew) (2026). Source
  • Collective defense commitments: None, or formal neutrality outside any pact (2026). Five Power Defence Arrangements are consultative, not a defense guarantee. Source

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Policy neighbours

Governed most like Singapore

Every other country with a profile, tinted by how close its laws, institutions and public spending are to those of Singapore on the same 12 axes. The percentage uses the 12 Axes match formula.

  1. 1Hungary76%
  2. 2Bulgaria75%
  3. 3Israel74%
  4. 4Philippines74%
  5. 5Turkey74%
Least similarVenezuela49%
World map of countries by how similar their policy regime is to SingaporeClosest: 1. Hungary 76%, 2. Bulgaria 75%, 3. Israel 74%, 4. Philippines 74%, 5. Turkey 74%, 6. Chile 73%, 7. Colombia 72%, 8. Cyprus 72%, 9. Latvia 72%, 10. Lithuania 72%. Least similar: Venezuela 49%. Every country is in the list after the map.Singapore
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  • Under 55%
  • 65 to 74%
  • 85% or more
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Figures from Singapore

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FAQ

Singapore: questions

How is Singapore governed, on the 12 axes?

Singapore is a unitary state that scores 0.36 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 16% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is in use and same-sex marriage is banned in law. Its policy regime leans furthest toward Central on Structure (+1.00), Global on Trade (-1.00) and Self-reliant on Welfare (+0.85), on a scale from -1 to +1.

Which countries are governed most like Singapore?

On the same 12 axes, the closest policy regimes are Hungary (76%), Bulgaria (75%) and Israel (74%). The furthest is Venezuela (49%). Matches use the same formula as the 12 Axes test.

Where does the data on Singapore come from?

From 41 indicators dated 2022 to 2026, published by V-Dem, Freedom House, the Heritage Foundation, the IMF, the OECD, the World Bank, SIPRI, Reporters Without Borders, the World Prison Brief, UN DESA and others. Among them: a press freedom score of 44.6 out of 100 (RSF, 2026), 178 prisoners per 100,000 people (2024), military spending of 3% of GDP (SIPRI, 2025) and 49% of residents born abroad (UN DESA, 2024). Every value, year and source is listed in the profile above.

Does the profile describe what people in Singapore think?

No. It describes the policy regime: laws, institutions and public spending. It does not measure public opinion or the speeches of the current government. To see which country is governed closest to your own views, take the 12 Axes test and open the country match on your result.

Which political figures from Singapore are on PoliticalTests?

So far Lee Kuan Yew, each placed on the 12 axes of the 12 Axes Political Test from their own speeches, writings and record, with sources on the profile page. More figures are added over time.

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