More Young People in Singapore Arrested for Offences in 2025

More Young People in Singapore Arrested for Offences in 2025, Driven by Rise in Cheating Cases

Singapore saw a notable increase in the number of young people arrested for offences in 2025, according to the latest Supporting Youth Rehabilitation Trends Report released by Singapore's Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). The number of youth offenders increased to 3,117 in 2025, compared with 2,627 in 2024, representing an increase of about 19%.

The latest figures cover young people aged 10 to below 21 years. The youth offending rate also increased from 4.8 per 1,000 young people in 2024 to 5.6 per 1,000 in 2025. Although the increase is significant, the 2025 rate remained below the 5.8 per 1,000 recorded in 2021, which was the highest level shown in the five-year period.

Youth Offending Increased in 2025

The latest figures show that youth offending has fluctuated over the past five years. In 2021, Singapore recorded around 3,000 youth offenders, followed by 2,400 in 2022 and 2,647 in 2023. The number increased slightly to 2,627 in 2024 before rising sharply to 3,117 in 2025.

The age breakdown shows that the largest group of youth offenders in 2025 was those aged 18 to below 21, with 1,416 offenders. Young people aged 10 to below 16 accounted for 900 offenders, while those aged 16 to below 18 accounted for 801.

This means that older youths represented roughly 45% of all youth offenders in 2025, while the 10-to-below-16 group represented about 29% and the 16-to-below-18 group about 26%.

The increase is therefore not evenly distributed across all age groups. The figures point to a particularly strong increase among older youths, especially in cheating and scam-related offences.

Cheating and Scam-Related Offences Become the Biggest Concern

One of the most important findings from the 2025 report is the sharp rise in cheating and related offences.

The number of youths involved in these offences increased from 814 in 2024 to 1,114 in 2025, an increase of approximately 37%. This was the highest number recorded since 2021 and was identified as the main factor behind the increase in the overall youth offending rate.

Many of these cases involved youths acting as scam mules. According to reporting on the MSF findings, some young people provided bank account information or Singpass credentials to scammers, registered SIM cards or mobile lines for others to use, or helped facilitate transactions connected to scams.