In Singapore, cognitive decline and dementia represent a rapidly growing public health challenge. According to the 2023 Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), about 1 in 11 seniors aged 60 and above is living with dementia (8.8%), and the absolute number of persons with dementia has risen to approximately 74,000.¹ ² With Singapore’s rapidly ageing population, this figure is expected to more than double by 2030, and broader regional projections indicate that dementia cases across Asia will triple by 2050, underscoring the scale of the impending burden.

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Stroke—a major cause of disability and cognitive impairment—also remains a significant concern. Singapore has observed increasing stroke incidence among younger adults, particularly those aged 35 to 54, even as overall stroke mortality has declined due to improvements in acute treatment.³ This reflects a worrying trend toward earlier-onset metabolic disease and cardiovascular risk in the population.

Mental health burdens are also increasing. The 2022 Singapore Mental Health Study reported that 1 in 7 adults has experienced a mental disorder in their lifetime, with major depressive disorder among the most common conditions.⁴ Importantly, poor mental health is disproportionately higher among younger adults, reflecting evolving social, economic, and environmental pressures in a modern, fast-paced society.

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Together, these trends highlight the urgent need for integrated brain health, cardiovascular health, and psychosocial wellbeing strategies to support healthy ageing across the life course in Singapore.

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References

1. Subramaniam M, et al. Prevalence of Dementia in Singapore: WiSE 2023 Study. PubMed PMID: 39868432.
2. Ministry of Health Singapore. Number of dementia-afflicted patients and future projections. MOH Newsroom.
3. Singapore Stroke Registry, Ministry of Health / Singapore Health Services (public reports).
4. Institute of Mental Health. Singapore Mental Health Study 2022 (SMHS 2022).