Nearly 60% of Singaporeans unlikely to leave city: survey

59% of Singapore residents said they were “unlikely” or “very unlikely” to leave the city.

Singapore was ranked amongst the top three cities worldwide where residents are least likely to move.

According to the City Pulse 2025 report by the Gensler Research Institute, 59% of Singapore residents said they were “unlikely” or “very unlikely” to leave the city, placing it just behind Taipei and Ho Chi Minh City in terms of global staying power.

The survey, which gathered insights from over 33,000 urban residents across 65 cities, examined why people are drawn to cities and what compels them to stay.

Whilst basic needs like job opportunities and safety remain critical, the report underscored that long-term urban loyalty hinges on emotional attachment.

“People stay in their cities when they feel energised and personally attached to their surroundings,” the report noted.

“Over time, what anchors someone in a place is not just what it provides, but how it feels.”

For Singapore, residents cited not only high satisfaction, with 77% rating it as a good or excellent place to live, but also factors like belonging, pride, and enjoyment.

These emotional drivers ranked higher than even traditional metrics like cost or healthcare in determining whether residents would remain long-term.

The report further identified Singapore as a global outlier in urban affordability. Whilst most cities are seeing a rise in living costs, nearly half of Singapore respondents reported that their cost of living has improved, a rare sentiment in today's urban climate.

Singapore also performed strongly in climate resilience, with a high ND-GAIN score of 71.09, and only 20% of residents cited environmental reasons as a motivator to move, lower than in many other major urban centers.

“Place attachment is the deep connection people feel toward their city,” the researchers wrote. “It encompasses emotional bonds, identity, and familiarity that make a place feel like home.”