China has become a popular destination for both holidaymakers
and business travelers from Singapore, according to the findings of
the latest General Household Survey released by the Singapore
Department of Statistics (SDS) Wednesday.
In 2005, China, the United States and Malaysia were the top
three countries where Singapore residents made their work-related
trips while Malaysia, Thailand and China were the three most
popular destinations for Singaporean holidaymakers.
The survey also showed that half of the 2.8 million Singapore
residents aged 15 years and over made at least one trip abroad
during the last 12 months prior to the survey with the majority of
them traveling for holiday.
The average monthly household income from work for Singapore
resident households was 5,400 Singapore dollars (about US$3,382) in
2005, according to the survey.
"With low inflation, household income increased in real terms
between 2000 and 2005 by 1.1 percent per annum," an SDS press
release said, adding that the disparity in distribution of per
capita household income also increased during the same period with
the Gini coefficient rising from 0.49 in 2000 to 0.522 in 2005.
The survey also found that about 15 percent of Singapore
resident households lived in private housing while nearly 27
percent lived in five-room or bigger government-subsidized houses
in 2005, up from 11 percent and 23.7 percent in 2000
respectively.
Conducted once every 10 years by the SDS, last year's General
Household Survey was the second in the series which covered all
Singapore residents, including citizens and permanent residents,
with usual residence in Singapore.
(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2006)
