Singapore Tamils
Migrant group from the Indian subcontinent
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Through South India, Sri Lanka and Singapore
Demographics
According to the Singapore Census of Population 2020, ethnic Tamils constitute approximately 54 per cent of the Indian Singaporean resident population, which itself makes up 9.0 per cent of Singapore's total resident population as of 2020. Tamil is the most widely spoken Indian language in Singapore and the only Indian language among Singapore's four official languages, spoken at home by approximately 2.5 per cent of all Singapore residents in 2020.
The proportion of Indian residents speaking Tamil at home declined from 36.7 per cent in 2010 to 27.4 per cent in 2020, reflecting a broader shift towards English as the dominant home language across Singapore's Indian community.
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Status
Tamil is one of the four official languages of Singapore. Tamil is taught as a second language in most government schools from primary to junior college levels. Tamil is an examinable subject at all major nationwide exams. There is a daily Tamil newspaper printed in Singapore, Tamil Murasu. There is a full-time radio station, Oli 96.8FM, and a full-fledged television channel, Vasantham.
Little India
Little India, Singapore is an ethnic place of Indians located in the east of Singapore and mostly follows the Tamil cultural heritage system.