In a momentous event marking 60 years of diplomatic relations, President Droupadi Murmu and the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, unveiled a special joint logo on January 16 in New Delhi. The logo celebrates six decades of strong ties between the two nations.
The design features elements symbolizing both countries: colours from the Indian and Singaporean national flags, the lotus (India’s national flower), the orchid (Singapore’s national flower), and the number 60, highlighting this significant milestone. Together, these elements represent the enduring friendship, mutual trust, and shared values between India and Singapore.
Over the years, India-Singapore cooperation has deepened across various sectors. The relationship is built on strong political, defence, economic, cultural, educational, and people-to-people ties. The partnership has expanded to include advanced manufacturing, connectivity, digitalization, healthcare, sustainability, and skills development.
India-Singapore Trade and Economic Cooperation: highlights
Singapore is India’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and a major source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), External Commercial Borrowings, and Foreign Portfolio Investment. Bilateral trade expanded from USD 6.7 billion in FY 2004-05 to USD 35.6 billion in 2023-24, making Singapore India’s 6th largest trade partner.
Trade (2023-24): India imported goods worth USD 21.2 billion from Singapore (a decline of 10.2% from the previous year) and exported USD 14.4 billion to Singapore (a 20.2% growth).
FDI (2023-24): Singapore was the largest source of FDI into India, with inflows of USD 11.774 billion. Cumulative FDI from Singapore (April 2000–Sept 2024) reached USD 167.47 billion, 24% of India’s total FDI.
Investments: Around 9000 Indian companies are registered in Singapore. In 2024, Invest India opened an office in Singapore to facilitate investments, and more than 440 Singaporean companies are registered in India.
Skill Development: India and Singapore have collaborated on skill development centres, with projects completed in six Indian states and two ongoing projects. In September 2024, both nations signed an MoU on Education and Skill Development.
Technology Cooperation: ISRO has launched several Singaporean satellites, and cooperation is growing in digital health, green economy, and digital technologies.
Indian Community: Ethnic Indians make up around 9% of Singapore’s resident population (about 3.8 lakh), with an additional 3.8 lakh Indian expatriates residing in the country.
Singapore remains a key partner in India’s Act East Policy and its vision for the Indo-Pacific. To commemorate the 60th anniversary, several events are planned, underscoring the importance both countries place on their enduring bilateral partnership.
