Parliamentary Statements
Written Reply by Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing to Parliamentary Question on the Breakdown of Volunteers to the SAF Volunteer Corps on 5 May
5 May 2026
Interest in joining the SAFVC has grown significantly over the years. Since SAFVC was established in 2014, over 1,500 men and women have completed training and served as SAFVC Volunteers.
Mr Pritam Singh asked the Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence for each year from 2015 to 2025, how many (i) Singaporeans and (ii) Permanent Residents signed up to the SAF Volunteer Corps, with a breakdown by gender.
Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Mr Chan Chun Sing:
Since SAFVC was established in 2014, over 1,500 men and women have completed training and served as SAFVC Volunteers (SVs). Presently, there are about 1,100 in-service SVs comprising 52% male and 48% female. About 7 in 10 of our in-service SVs are new citizens or PRs.
Interest in joining the SAFVC has grown significantly over the years. In the past 5 years, we have received an annual average of around 900 applications, with about 1,300 applications received in 2025, compared to an annual average of around 600 from 2014 to 2020.