Singapore secured the 9th position in the inaugural Resilient Food Systems Index (RFSI), achieving a score of 73.0 among 60 countries assessed. Economist Enterprise developed the evaluation to gauge performance in four critical domains: food affordability, availability, quality and safety, and climate risk responsiveness. The index blends quantitative data with expert input to generate composite resilience scores.
Food affordability was Singapore’s strongest area, with a score of 85.2. The city-state earned near-flawless access to affordable healthy diets (99.9), the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, alongside robust food safety net programs (81.5). Despite relying on imports for about 90% of its food supply, Singapore ranked 7th globally in food availability (67.7), thanks to its efficient trade networks, logistics capabilities, and supply chain management. Its logistics infrastructure scored 82.5, the top mark in APAC. Safety-net programmes provide subsidies for low-income families and run community nutrition drives that sustain diet quality. Singapore’s major port handles large volumes of food cargo, ensuring swift turnover.
The assessment also placed Singapore 11th worldwide and 3rd in APAC for food quality and safety (79.8). Rigorous regulatory frameworks—covering food standards, traceability systems, and approval processes for novel foods, contributed to a 94.9 score in food safety, one of the highest in the index.
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Climate risk responsiveness proved Singapore’s weakest area, with a 57.4 score and a 35th-place global ranking. No APAC economy demonstrated strong performance in this category, according to the index. Being low-lying and reliant on imported water raises Singapore’s vulnerability to sea-level rise and extreme weather, affecting food supply stability.
Malaysia matched Singapore’s overall score (73.0) and claimed the 10th spot globally. These results align with Singapore’s Singapore Food Story 2 (SFS2), a 2025 initiative that broadens food security strategies to include supply diversification and resilience measures. SFS2 targets sourcing at least 30% of staples from varied regions by 2035 to diversify supply.
The RFSI assesses countries using 71 indicators across six regions as part of Economist Enterprise’s Food Imperative program. This initiative examines global food system challenges and identifies key strengths and weaknesses in national food strategies.
