Parliamentary Statements
Written Reply by Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing on the Ten-Year Breakdown of Full-Time National Servicemen Numbers on 12 Feb 2026
12 February 2026
As the enlistment numbers vary from year-to-year, it is more meaningful to compare the annual average enlistment numbers over longer time periods.
Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence (a) how many Full-time National Servicemen were enlisted in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the SAF, SPF, and SCDF; and (b) in each of those years, how many Full-time National Servicemen were serving in their second year of national service.
Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Mr Chan Chun Sing:
As the enlistment numbers vary from year-to-year, it is more meaningful to compare them over longer time periods, as follows.
Full-Time National Servicemen Enlisted (Rounded to the nearest 100) | Annual Average (2016 to 2020) | Annual Average (2021 to 2025) |
Full-Time National Servicemen Enlisted to the SAF | 19,100 | 17,300 |
Full-Time National Servicemen Enlisted to the SPF | 2,400 | 2,200 |
Full-Time National Servicemen Enlisted to the SCDF | 1,900 | 1,800 |
The percentage of enlistees who progress to complete their two-year term has consistently exceeded 95%. The small numbers who are unable to complete the two-year term are mostly due to medical reasons.