Abstract
Singapore is a modern state that enjoys one of the highest GDP per capita in the world. Like Japan though, the country has a rapidly ageing population (20% of Singaporeans will be 65 and above by 2030) and an age support ratio that will fall to 2.1 by 2030. In recent times, the ruling People’s Action Party has acknowledged that the country’s modest universal pension plan, the Central Provident Fund and the healthcare funding it provides (MediSave), may be insufficient to ensure adequate levels of social protection. While the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (3.8 Universal Health Care coverage and 1.3 Implementation of Appropriate Social Protection systems) seems elusive in the Singapore context, there has been progress in the form of social welfare benefits for targeted generations of Singaporeans. This Chapter examines these investments in social welfare and the extent to which they are likely to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals for older Singaporeans. A central argument developed in this chapter is that these investments in healthcare may address the social protection needs of current retirees, but are unlikely to do so for future cohorts. The chapter concludes by outlining the limitations of the city state’s approach to social protection.