Singapore

Analysis

Singapore is a middle power in Asia.

The city-state’s overall score declined by 0.4 points compared to 2019.

Singapore is a standout performer relative to its small size and population. The city-state is highly networked and externally focused, achieving its highest ranking of 4th place for economic relationships. Singapore is also the only country to break into the top five for defence networks without any formal alliance commitments, reflecting the depth and diversity of its non-allied security partnerships in the region.

However, Singapore’s success and small size pose unique strategic challenges. Its lowest ranking — in 13th place — occurs in the resilience measure as a result of being amongst the least energy self-sufficient countries in the region.

In 2020, Singapore saw its greatest improvement in diplomatic influence, where it moved up one place. But it has also slipped by one place in the future resources and cultural influence measures relative to 2019.

Singapore exerts more influence in the region than expected given its available resources, as indicated by the country’s positive power gap score.

Read more analysis in the Key Findings report. Explore further results in the Scores section.