Singapore: Net foreign assets (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Singapore's net foreign assets (current LCU) rose 32.1% on 2019 (from 308.76 billion to 407.83 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +7.1% and a typical year strayed about 7.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 34.4% in 1985 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.9% in 1983. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is upward, about 7.33 billion a year. A straight line explains 42% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Singapore in the 2020 ranking

• Myanmar — 1st of 3: 12.75 trillion
• Afghanistan — 2nd of 3: 871.66 billion

What this measures

Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

All 58 values

Net foreign assets (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Australia — -136.13 billion (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 15.89 billion (2025)
• Cambodia — 130.8 trillion (2025)
• China — 30.27 trillion (2024)
• Fiji — 3.45 billion (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 12.08 trillion (2025)
• Indonesia — 2,159.04 trillion (2025)
• Japan — 54.94 trillion (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — 627.85 trillion (2024)
• Macao SAR, China — 883.16 billion (2025)
• Malaysia

More financial sector data for Singapore

• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 134.36 (2025)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 132.95 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$1.31 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$1.31 (2025)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 0.9% (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — -1.8% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 128.43% (2020)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 701.01 billion (2020)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 128.43% (2020)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Singapore's net foreign assets (current LCU)?

407.83 billion in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1963?

It is up 27,070% from 1.5 billion in 1963 (10.33% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 407.83 billion in 2020 and the lowest 1.39 billion in 1965.

Is the latest change in net foreign assets (current LCU) unusual for Singapore?

In 2020, Singapore's net foreign assets (current LCU) rose 32.1% on 2019 (from 308.76 billion to 407.83 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +7.1% and a typical year strayed about 7.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FM.AST.NFRG.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.