Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is set to receive a significant salary increase under a new framework for political officeholders, with his annual pay potentially reaching around S$3.6 million ($2.8 million or nearly ₹27 crore).
The revision will also increase salaries for ministers and allowances for other lawmakers. It will be the first major revision of Singapore’s political salaries in 15 years.
Wong said the government needs to ensure that political salaries remain competitive enough to attract capable people from the private sector. He argued that ministerial pay has fallen behind comparable earnings in both the private sector and the civil service.
The new framework will not immediately bring ministers to the proposed salary benchmarks. From October 15, political officeholders will receive a one-time adjustment of up to 9%, depending on their performance and responsibilities.
Wong said most ministers at the lowest grade are expected to earn about S$1.35 million ($1.06 million) by the end of the current term. Their salaries will then vary according to performance and responsibilities rather than automatically reaching the benchmark of S$1.8 million.
The Prime Minister's own salary will also rise under the adjustment. Although Wong did not specify his final salary, a 9% increase would take his current annual pay of about S$2.2 million to roughly S$2.4 million.
Wong has said he will donate his entire salary increase to charity for the next five years.
Singapore has long been known for paying its political leaders among the highest salaries in the world. Wong defended the transparent approach to remuneration, saying there are no hidden salary components or perks outside the published framework.
He also revealed that before the 2025 election, he had approached several corporate leaders about entering politics but was unable to persuade them. While they did not cite pay as the reason, Wong said remuneration could still be a factor when attracting experienced professionals to public service.
The salary review has sparked debate because of the large sums involved. Wong acknowledged that political salaries are a sensitive issue but said Singapore must consider whether it can continue attracting the quality of leadership needed to run the country.
The revised framework is aimed at balancing competitive remuneration with performance-based pay while keeping the system transparent to the public.
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