Bukit Panjang
Bukit Panjang is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. A portion of this town is situated on a low-lying elongated hill. The planning area is bounded by Bukit Batok to the west, Choa Chu Kang to the northwest, Sungei Kadut to the north, the Central Water Catchment to the east, and Bukit Timah to the south. Bukit Panjang New Town is located at the northern portion of the planning area. Bukit Panjang has an average elevation of 36m/118 ft.
The town is categorised into seven subzones, namely Jelebu, Bangkit, Fajar, Saujana, Senja, Dairy Farm, and Nature Reserve.
Etymology
Bukit Panjang means "long hill" in Malay. It gets its name from the low hills which end south to Bukit Timah. The roads in the town are named after the old 1960s kampung tracks which used to ply the area.History
Bukit Panjang is a suburban town in western Singapore. Before redevelopment, Kampong Bukit Panjang used to exist in the area. Initially, instead of using the original place name, Bukit Panjang, there were plans to open up the new town using the name, Zhenghua, derived from Jalan Cheng Hwa that used to ply the area. However, Bukit Panjang was quickly reinstated following complaints. Development of the town and advanced earthworks begun on 15 June 1981. Housing and Development Board flats rose up by 20 May 1985, but only Blocks 1xx and 2xx were built so far. Neighbourhood 4 was up and running by 1989, and followed by Neighbourhood 5 and 6 which was the recent ones since 1995.In 1981, was spent on widening canals to help prevent flooding in low-lying areas such as Bukit Panjang.
Demographics
Population history
Age profile
The data below is from the population report published by the Singapore Department of Statistics as of June 2025.| Age group | Males | Females | Total population | % of total population |
| 0–4 | 2,660 | 2,400 | 5,060 | 3.71 |
| 5–9 | 3,080 | 3,000 | 6,080 | 4.46 |
| 10–14 | 3,530 | 3,390 | 6,920 | 5.07 |
| 15–19 | 3,600 | 3,530 | 7,130 | 5.23 |
| 20–24 | 4,060 | 3,960 | 8,020 | 5.88 |
| 25–29 | 4,680 | 4,540 | 9,220 | 6.76 |
| 30–34 | 5,130 | 5,140 | 10,270 | 7.53 |
| 35–39 | 4,820 | 5,250 | 10,070 | 7.38 |
| 40–44 | 4,560 | 4,970 | 9,530 | 6.99 |
| 45–49 | 4,220 | 4,760 | 8,980 | 6.59 |
| 50–54 | 4,760 | 5,250 | 10,010 | 7.34 |
| 55–59 | 4,730 | 5,060 | 9,790 | 7.18 |
| 60–64 | 5,180 | 5,560 | 10,740 | 7.88 |
| 65–69 | 4,900 | 4,770 | 9,670 | 7.09 |
| 70–74 | 3,400 | 3,400 | 6,800 | 4.99 |
| 75–79 | 2,080 | 2,210 | 4,290 | 3.15 |
| 80–84 | 870 | 1,150 | 2,020 | 1.48 |
| 85–89 | 460 | 700 | 1,160 | 0.85 |
| 90+ | 200 | 430 | 630 | 0.46 |
| Age group | Males | Females | Total population | % of total population |
| 0–14 | 9,270 | 8,790 | 18,060 | 13.24 |
| 15–64 | 45,740 | 48,020 | 93,760 | 69.58 |
| 65+ | 11,910 | 12,660 | 24,570 | 18.02 |
The population distribution of Bukit Panjang in 2025 demonstrates an ageing population structure. There is a higher population concentration among middle-aged and older groups, with males and females both peaking at the 60-64 age range at 3.80% and 4.08% respectively. This is closely followed by the 30-34 age range, with 3.76% being males and 3.77% being females.
Household
As of 2025, there were 112,590 people living in HDB flats, representing 82.6% of the population. This is higher than the national proportion of HDB dwellers, reflecting a greater prevalence of public housing in the area.Among the population, 52,680 residents, or 38.6% of the population, live in 4-Room HDB Flats, making it the most common type of dwelling. 20,050 residents live in condominiums and other apartments, while 3,150 residents reside in landed properties.
As of 2020, the average household size in Bukit Panjang is 3.40. Among the 43,580 households in Bukit Panjang, the most common household size is four persons, representing 23.3% of total households.
Bukit Panjang has a home ownership rate of 92.8% as of 2020. This is higher than the national home ownership rate of 87.9%, making Bukit Panjang the fourth-highest in home ownership rate among all planning areas in Singapore. This reflects a greater prevalence of homeowners in Bukit Panjang.
Ethnicity
Consistent with the rest of Singapore, Bukit Panjang has an ethnically diverse population, with a majority Chinese population, constituting 74.35% of the population as of 2020, identical to the national proportion of 74.35%. In contrast, there is a higher proportion of Malays compared to the national proportion of 13.49%.Religion
Consistent with the rest of Singapore, the largest religion in Bukit Panjang is Buddhism, with 37,693 practising residents. The second most common group consists of residents with no religion. Islam is also prominent in Bukit Panjang, with 20,325 Muslims. Christianity is practised by 19,792 residents, with 7,077 Catholics. Other religious affiliations include Taoism and other Chinese religions, Hinduism, and Sikhism.Compared to the national average of 8.79%, there is a significantly higher proportion of practising Taoists in Bukit Panjang.
Education
As of 2020, 97.1% of the population aged above 15 is literate, identical with the national literacy rate. 67.2% of residents are literate in two languages, with the most common language pair being English and Chinese. 5.7% of Bukit Panjang residents are literate in three or more languages.30,829 residents in Bukit Panjang have attained a university qualification, lower than the national average of 32.1%. In contrast, 11,486 residents, or 10.7% of the population, have no educational qualifications.
Language
In Bukit Panjang, the proportion of residents using English as the most frequently spoken language is lower than the national average of 48.3%. Additionally, there are 2,781 Tamil speakers, representing 82.4% of the 3,373 Indian language speakers in Bukit Panjang.Employment and income
According to the 2020 Census of Population, 77,492 of residents aged 15 years and over in Bukit Panjang are employed, out of the 81,951 in the labour force. This equates to an employment rate of 94.6%, slightly higher than the national employment rate of 94.2%. The remaining 38,161 residents aged above 15 in Bukit Panjang are outside the labour force.Among the employed residents in Bukit Panjang aged 15 years and over, most earn a gross monthly income of between S$3,000 and S$3,999, with 13.6% being in that category. This is closely followed by those earning between S$1,000 and S$1,999, constituting 13.4% of the population. 7.1% earn less than S$1,000 per month, while 5.6% earn above S$15,000 per month.
According to the 2020 Census of Population, most resident households in Bukit Panjang earn a monthly household income of S$20,000 and over, constituting 12.3% of all households. The second highest category for monthly household income is households with no employed person, encompassing 10.1% of all households.
Housing, amenities, and attractions
The town consists of a mixture of old and new blocks of flats, condominiums and private housing. To date, there are three community centres, namely Bukit Panjang Community Club, Zhenghua Community Club, and Senja-Cashew Community Club, which serve the entertainment, recreational, and educational needs of residents.Bukit Panjang Plaza is one of the well-known malls in Bukit Panjang. It is located in the heart of Bukit Panjang town and is near Bukit Panjang LRT station, Bukit Panjang MRT station, and Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange. Located on Jelebu Road, the mall has been expanded twice throughout its existence to include more shops in the building. The mall is owned by CapitaRetail which is another retail-based REIT by CapitaLand. The mall houses the Bukit Panjang Public Library as well as a NTUC FairPrice Finest supermarket.Hillion Mall is another well-known mall in Bukit Panjang, located along Petir Road. It is one of the more recent commercial facilities, which completed construction and was opened to the public on 24 February 2017. It is part of the Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub, which shares the building with the Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange, and directly links to the Bukit Panjang MRT/LRT station through an underpass and above-ground link way respectively.
There are other smaller commercial buildings equipped with food courts, supermarkets, and other basic shops to meet the basic necessities of the residents. They are commonly located within HDB estates or small standalone buildings. Some of the more iconic buildings include Junction 10 located along Woodlands Road, Fajar Shopping Centre located along Fajar Road, Greenridge Shopping Centre located along Jelapang Road, and the Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood Centre located along Bangkit Road.
Within the neighbourhood consists of two hawker centres; the Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market and the Senja Hawker Centre. The former opened in 2015 while the latter opened in 2022.
A healthcare facility located along Senja Road was opened on 2 October 2021 to house the Bukit Panjang Polyclinic and the Senja Care Home.
The town has two major parks, namely Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park and Zhenghua Park. Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park is located adjacent to the Senja-Cashew Community Club and wraps around Pang Sua Pond, a man-made floating wetland. Zhenghua Park, located in the eastern part of Bukit Panjang, consists of a fitness area, gazebos, playgrounds, and a 2.5-kilometre cycling and jogging track that runs parallel to the Bukit Timah Expressway.