Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will receive a significant pay rise, his government has announced, widening the distance between his salary and that of other world leaders. Beginning October 15, Wong, who became prime minister in 2024, will see his annual salary rise to 3.6 million Singapore dollars—roughly $2.85 million—from 2.2 million. The 64 percent increase comes as the Southeast Asian country updates a benchmarking system that ties politicians’ pay to earnings in the private sector.
Ministers in Singapore will see a one-off increase of as much as 9 percent starting October 5, rather than the full amount, with subsequent increases based on performance and other factors. Wong has acknowledged the potential scrutiny associated with maintaining the updated compensation framework but argues that raising ministerial salaries was needed to attract the most talented and effective lawmakers. Since becoming an independent nation, Singapore’s government has argued that high salaries for politicians can help deter corruption.
Newsweek contacted Wong's office via email for comment outside regular working hours. In a statement on Tuesday, Wong said that the increase was unlikely to be popular and vowed to donate the “full increase” in his salary to charity. "I will then donate the increase to suitable good causes.
I do not expect other officeholders to do the same. As a general rule, I do not believe in making a public show of charitable giving.” But even with his current salary, equivalent to around $1.74 million, Wong’s annual pay package outsizes every world leader, including the U.S. president. Donald Trump receives the customary salary of $400,000 a year—last updated in 2001—meaning Wong’s new pay package would be more than seven times larger than the U.S. commander in chief's.
During both of his terms in the Oval Office, Trump has stated publicly that he would donate his entire presidential paycheck. Multiple federal agencies confirmed receiving donations during his first stint in the White House, and his salary has more recently gone toward White House restoration efforts. However, Trump has also increased his wealth dramatically while in office.
Financial disclosures released by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) have revealed sizable gains from his equity holdings, cryptocurrency businesses and other ventures since his return to the White House. Singapore's prime minister also earns substantially more than the leaders of other affluent democracies, with CNBC reporting that his salary exceeds the combined pay of Trump and the heads of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and Switzerland. Switzerland is frequently pointed to as a country with generously remunerated politicians, though its presidential salary of around $600,000 is only one-quarter of that earned by Singapore’s prime minister.
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