Singapore Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, is set to receive a major increase in his annual pay package, making him the world’s highest-paid political leader.
Wong’s annual compensation will rise by nearly 64 per cent, from S$2.2m ($1.7m) to S$3.6m ($2.8m), under a new salary adjustment announced by the Singapore government.
The increase, the first major review of ministers’ salaries in 15 years, will also see other ministers receive pay rises of up to nine per cent.
Wong said the adjustment was necessary to attract and retain capable people in public service, particularly as the earnings gap between political leaders and senior private-sector executives continues to widen.
However, the prime minister has pledged to donate his salary increase to charity for the next five years.
Singapore has long defended its high political salaries as a way of attracting talent to government and reducing incentives for corruption.
The country ranked third in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, while the United States ranked 29th.
The salary increase has nevertheless generated criticism, particularly on social media, amid concerns over the cost of living and income inequality. Singapore’s median monthly income was S$5,775 ($4,500) last year.
Political analyst and Singapore Management University associate law professor Eugene Tan described the timing of the increase as potentially problematic.
“Given the economic uncertainty and the imminent technological disruptions at workplaces, (the) announcement could come across as being tone-deaf or even self-serving,” Tan said.
He noted that although Singaporeans understand that ministers cannot match the highest salaries in the private sector, many still find it difficult to accept their political leaders earning such substantial amounts.
Even before the latest increase, Wong earned considerably more than the $400,000 annual salary paid to the US president before tax. His previous package also exceeded the roughly $719,000 earned by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee.
Wong acknowledged that the issue would attract public attention and controversy.
“We cannot avoid this issue simply because it is politically difficult, and this is not just a matter of pay,” Wong said on Tuesday.
“It is ultimately about whether Singapore will continue to have the quality of political leadership we need to take our country forward and to serve Singaporeans well in the years ahead.”
The new figures followed recommendations from an independent committee that used the incomes of Singapore’s top 1,000 earners as part of its benchmark for determining political salaries.
Ja Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, questioned the decision to link politicians’ earnings to such a small group of the country’s highest earners.
“That sort of linkage could link the perspective of politicians more closely to the richest segment of Singapore society,” he said.
Chong acknowledged that Singapore’s extremely low level of public-sector corruption could indicate that high salaries help reduce incentives for graft, but said the approach was not without limitations.
“Very high levels of compensation may blunt the public service element of serving in political office, which should be key to elected officials,” Chong added.
Singapore’s People’s Action Party, which has governed the country continuously since 1959, has often been credited with transforming the city-state into a prosperous economy, although it has also faced criticism over restrictions on dissent.
Ministers’ salaries were previously reduced in 2011 following public dissatisfaction over rising living costs and inequality, after the ruling party recorded its lowest share of the popular vote in a general election.
