1972 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 1972 in Singapore.

Incumbents

1 January – The Post Office Savings Bank is turned into a statutory board. This allows the bank more freedom to run its operations.

7 February – The National Wages Council is set up to ensure sustainable wages. This comes after wages have risen quickly the previous year.

1 April – The Telephone Department is converted into a statutory board called the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore.
2 April – The Singapore Grand Prix is won by Max Stewart.

15 June – The SAF Act comes into effect, allowing for effective management of the Singapore Armed Forces. The Act merges the air, sea and land vocations and establishes the Armed Forces Council.

2 July – Singapore Armed Forces Reservist Association is officially launched.
20 July – The Stop at Two policy is unveiled to encourage people to have smaller families.

1 September – The Sentosa Development Corporation is formed to manage Sentosa and the outlying islands to attract tourists.
2 September – The People's Action Party wins the 1972 General Election.
15 September – The first Merlion Park is officially opened.
18 September – 22-year-old Chan Chee Chan is shot dead while walking through Queenstown; the crime remains unsolved.

1 October – Singapore Airlines starts its first flights.
13 October – Heavy fog, an environmental phenomenon that had built up since the beginning of the month, causes gridlock and other problems throughout Singapore.
24 October – Disincentives are announced to nudge families into having only two children, taking effect on 1 August 1973. Among them are progressive reduction of income tax relief to the first three children; increase in childbirth fees depending on births; reduction of paid maternity leave from three to two confinements; and lowering priority of HDB flats allocations for large families.

21 November – A fire engulfs the Robinson's Department Store, causing 9 deaths. In addition, the impact of the fire damaged the roof of the Overseas Union Bank building and forced the Stock Exchange to stop trading for the day. As a result, this makes the fire one of the worst in Singapore's history.

15 December -
*OCBC acquires Four Seas Communications Bank.
*SATS Ltd is established as a separate company from Singapore Airlines to manage ground operations and inflight catering services.

The OG building is officially opened.
Three Rifles Holdings is founded, becoming a company selling clothes.
Specialists' Shopping Centre is opened in Orchard Road. It has since been demolished.
The first Guardian store is opened by Cold Storage.
Shaw Centre is opened.

4 April – Lionel Chan – racing driver, 28
5 May – Chen Su Lan – one of Singapore's first local medical graduates, philanthropist, social reformer.
5 September – Bashir Ahmad Mallal – founder of Malayan Law Journal.
11 September – Tan Lark Sye – former chairman of the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan and founder of the Nanyang University.