September 9, 2026 | 08:48 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is set to receive a substantial increase in his annual pay package, further widening the gap between his salary and that of other political leaders around the world.
The Singapore government plans to raise the annual salaries of ministers and other office holders, with Wong's pay package increasing by 1.4 million Singapore dollars ($1.1 million) to S$3.6 million ($2.8 million) a year.
According to the BBC, Wong said he would donate the additional income to charity over the next five years.
Wong defended the salary increase, saying higher pay was necessary to attract capable people to political office. The Singapore government has also long argued that competitive salaries help deter corruption by reducing the incentive for ministers to accept bribes.
Even before the increase takes effect, Wong is by far the world's highest-paid political leader. His current annual pay package is about S$2.2 million.
The BBC reported that Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee is the next highest-paid leader, earning about $719,000 a year, followed by Swiss President Guy Parmelin at approximately $606,000. U.S. President Donald Trump earns $400,000 annually, while British Prime Minister Andy Burnham receives about $230,000.
The increase has nevertheless drawn criticism in Singapore, where concerns over job security, inflation and the rising cost of living remain strong.
Wong acknowledged on Tuesday that ministers' salaries had attracted scrutiny because they were significantly higher than the earnings of most Singaporeans. The country's median monthly income is S$5,775.
He said the government had struggled to persuade some business leaders and senior civil servants to leave lucrative careers for politics.
"Overall, I believe this will give me and future prime ministers a better chance of persuading capable Singaporeans to step forward, and of building the strongest possible team for Singapore," Wong said.
Under the new scheme, ministers' base pay will rise from about S$1.1 million to around S$1.2 million. Wong expects most ministers to earn about S$1.35 million by the end of the current government term, with additional increases tied to performance.
Part of the ministers' compensation is linked to whether Singapore meets targets related to unemployment, income growth and gross domestic product growth.
The issue of ministerial salaries has long been politically sensitive for the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore since independence.
In the 2011 general election, the PAP recorded its lowest share of the popular vote in decades, with voter dissatisfaction over ministers' salaries and immigration policies among the issues cited at the time. The government subsequently cut ministers' salaries in 2012.
Wong's predecessor, Lee Hsien Loong, also pledged in 2007 to donate his salary increase to charity for several years.
The government has repeatedly pointed to Singapore's low levels of corruption as evidence supporting its high-pay model. Singapore consistently ranks among the world's least corrupt countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
However, the policy remains controversial in a country where average incomes are far below ministers' compensation.
The latest announcement prompted criticism online, with some Singaporeans describing the increase as "tone deaf" amid concerns over retrenchments, employment prospects for fresh graduates and inflation.
Government figures showed that retrenchments in Singapore reached their highest level in more than five years in the latest quarter.
Others defended the increase, arguing that higher salaries were necessary to attract the "best of the best" to run the country.
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