In the 19th century, the British shipped Indian convicts to Singapore to relieve overcrowded Indian jails. These men (and some women) were used as labour to build public buildings and roads in Singapore. Like the sepoys, they came from all parts of India.
In the late 1800s, more Indians migrated to Singapore for work and trade – Tamils, Parsees, Bengalis, Sindhis and Chettiars, among others. There were over 16,000 Indians by the end of the 19th century; they made up 9% of the population at the time, a figure that is remarkably similar to the current percentage.
In Singapore, the earliest concentration of Indians was the Indian Sepoy lines located at the foot of Fort Canning Hill and its surroundings. Between 1819 and 1867, Indian settlement was concentrated within the Singapore Town area, with spillage onto the Serangoon Road area.
What were the Indian occupations in colonial Singapore?
However, the Indians were a complex and diverse group of people and included labourers, servants, traders and merchants during the colonial period. Moreover, Indian sailors, fishermen and merchants had travelled over the Indian Ocean even before the British rule in South and Southeast Asia.
A total number of 612,300 visitors from India arrived Singapore till November 2022, as per Singapore Tourism Board (STB) data. They also stay the longest with an average length of stay of 8.61 days compared with an average of 5.19 days.
In the 19th century, the British shipped Indian convicts to Singapore to relieve overcrowded Indian jails. These men (and some women) were used as labour to build public buildings and roads in Singapore. Like the sepoys, they came from all parts of India.
Why does Singapore have a large Indian population?
Because of Singapore initially being ruled by British colonial authorities from Calcutta, and because of its relative geographic proximity to Malaya, the largest groups of Indian migrants until the mid-1900s were from South India, and in particular the Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam minorities.
The port had to be strategically located along the main trade route between India and China and in the middle of the Malay Archipelago. He convinced Lord Hastings, the Governor-General of India and his superior at the British East India Company, to fund an expedition to seek a new British base in the region.
Between 1825 to 1872, Indian convicts made up the bulk of the labour force for public works in Singapore”. Between 1852 and 1854, when labour cost rose by 30 percent, the government came to rely almost entirely on convict labour for the construction of public works.
On 6 February 1819, Stamford Raffles, Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman and Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor signed a treaty that gave the British East India Company (EIC) the right to set up a trading post in Singapore.
The United States boasts one of the largest Indian populations, with millions of Indian Americans contributing to the country's rich cultural tapestry. According to the latest statistics, the Indian diaspora in the United States numbers over 4 million, making it a prominent and influential community.
Singapore's safety and low crime rate make it an attractive destination for expats, as it provides peace of mind and security for those living and working in the city-state. The country is considered one of the safest places in Asia, and it is a great place for expats to raise families.
Originating from the present-day state of Tamil Nadu in South India as well as northern Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), many Tamils came to Singapore during the 19th century as labourers and traders. Today, the Tamils make up about five percent of Singapore's population.
Singapore is very well-known of its stable political environment, low crime rates, low corruption, world-class education system as well as the good climate. It's sometimes called the expat-friendly city-state because the country has the policies that welcome foreigners to live comfortably in the city.
Chinese migration to Singapore has been happening since the 19th century, after the founding of Singapore as a free port by Stamford Raffles in 1819. The demand for a skilled workforce and labour in Singapore was the driving force for attracting Chinese migrants to Singapore during that period of time.
OFWs prefer to go to developed countries because of higher wages that enable them to send bigger remittances. Singapore is one of the most open economies in the Asian region when it comes to international trade, foreign direct investment inflows, and foreign labor inflows.
In 1824 an Anglo-Dutch treaty left Malaya and Singapore in the British sphere, and in August the whole of Singapore Island was ceded to the British for a monetary payment. Two years later Singapore, Penang, and Malacca (Melaka) were combined as the Straits Settlements to form an outlying residency of India.
The Employment Pass (EP) visa is one way of securing entry into Singapore for those immigrating from India. An EP visa will allow you to live and work in Singapore. To qualify, you must have a job offer from a company in Singapore.
The area around serangoon part of singapore is called Little India because you will find many shops and restaurants of Indian origin are located here. You will find many Indian temples and Deepavali (hindu festival of lights) is celebrated on a grand scale every year here.
Singapore became a very rich country by implementing measures such as mandatory allocation of 10% of Singaporeans' salary to a pension fund, creating strategic state-owned companies, limiting the growth of the public service, privatizing loss-making companies, and maintaining a strong currency.
Singapore declared independence from Britain in 1963 and became part of Malaysia. It was a short-lived move however, and in 1965, Singapore became an independent and sovereign state. Its inaugural National Day was held on August 9, 1966, with a parade held at the Padang.
On 9 August 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent and sovereign state. The separation was the result of deep political and economic differences between the ruling parties of Singapore and Malaysia, which created communal tensions that resulted in racial riots in July and September 1964.
Singapore is significantly wealthier than India. According to the World Bank, Singapore's GDP per capita (PPP) in 2021 was $72,794, while India's was $2,257. This means that the average Singaporean is about 32 times wealthier than the average Indian.
Also known as the Lion City, the country is renowned for its excellent quality of life and citizen-centric policies, particularly in education, healthcare and safety. If you want a high-quality education and an exciting international lifestyle, studying in Singapore for Indian students might be the perfect option.
