Singapore’s economy expanded by 5.4% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026, according to advance estimates released by the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry. This marks a slowdown from the 6.2% growth recorded in the previous quarter. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the economy grew by 1.1%, down from the 1.5% growth seen in the second quarter.
The manufacturing sector experienced a 7.5% year-on-year growth, a decrease from the 12.9% growth in the previous quarter. This sector’s performance was bolstered by increases in electronics, precision engineering, and transport engineering outputs, despite declines in chemicals and biomedical manufacturing. However, on a quarter-on-quarter basis, manufacturing contracted by 0.9%.
Conversely, the construction sector saw an 8.8% year-on-year increase, up from 6.1% in the previous quarter, driven by both public and private sector projects. Quarter-on-quarter, the sector rebounded with a 3.4% growth following a 2.7% contraction in the second quarter.
In the services sector, wholesale and retail trade, along with transportation and storage, grew by 8.0% year-on-year, building on the 6.9% growth from the prior quarter. This growth was supported by strong electronics exports and robust water and air transport segments.
The information and communications, finance and insurance, and professional services sectors expanded by 4.3% year-on-year, a slight decline from the previous quarter’s 5.1% growth. Growth was driven by IT services and fund management.
Preliminary GDP estimates, including detailed sectoral performance, will be further elaborated in the Economic Survey of Singapore in November 2026.
