Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong attends the 28th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, October 27, 2025 (Photo by Vincent Thian/POOL/AFP) (Photo by Vincent Thian/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Vincent Tian | AFP | Getty Images
Singapore’s Prime Minister is often described as the world’s highest-paid elected leader. The current pay gap between incumbent Lawrence Wong and his global peers is set to widen further.
Mr Wong announced on Tuesday that ministers’ salaries would be adjusted upward after 15 years of unchanged pay.
Following the revision, Mr Wong’s annual salary will rise from S$2.2 million to S$3.6 million ($2.85 million).
The S$3.6 million figure is made up of both fixed and variable elements, with Mr Wong pledging to donate his entire five-year salary increase to charity, assuming he remains prime minister.
A quick comparison shows that the gap between Wong and other world leaders is quite pronounced. The new package is more than four times the salary of the Swiss president and seven times the $400,000 salary paid to the US president.
In fact, Mr Wong’s S$3.6 million package exceeds the combined legal salaries of the leaders of the United States, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, South Korea and New Zealand, excluding bonuses and other allowances, based on US dollar conversion as of Tuesday.
fair wages
Singapore politicians’ salaries are linked to those in the private sector.
The pay level for junior ministers, known as MR4 grade, is based on the median income of the highest-earning 1,000 Singaporeans, with a 40 per cent discount added to reflect the public service ethos, according to data from the public service sector.
That amount will rise from $1.1 million to $1.8 million, with the chancellor drawing twice the MR4 grade.
The city-state says competitive salaries help it attract talented candidates who are likely to stay in business, finance and other high-paying professions.
The system is also described as a “clean pay” model with no hidden personal perks or other pay factors. Politicians only receive one salary, no matter how many portfolios they hold.
However, the rise in the MR4 benchmark does not mean that the salaries of all Singapore’s ministers will immediately increase by that much.
Mr Wong told parliament that incumbent politicians would receive a one-off adjustment of up to 9% from October 15, based on factors such as performance and when their salaries were last adjusted.
Therefore, the minister’s annual salary, which currently receives S$1.1 million, could initially rise to around S$1.2 million, rather than reaching S$1.8 million immediately.
Future adjustments will depend on individual performance and responsibility.
“Politician salaries are a difficult and emotive issue,” Mr Wong said, adding: “The amounts involved exceed the incomes of most people, so it is understandable why Singaporeans are keeping a close eye on politicians’ salaries, and why so many feel so strongly about this issue.”
“But we run an open system and believe in transparency about ministerial pay. We cannot avoid this issue just because it is politically difficult.”
