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 (Lorong Petir, Lorong Pending, Jalan Fajar, Jalan Senja) which used to ply the area.
History Historical maps from 1911 to 1978 indicate Bukit Panjang hill with a peak of between Choa Chu Kang Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road, near the Lian Hup Quarry and present-day MINDEF Building. Quarrying activities likely flattened the hill.
In the mid 1800s, settlements emerged at the 10th milestone of Bukit Timah Road, near Bukit Panjang hill. The term '10th mile' is preserved in the naming of Ten Mile Junction LRT Station, Ten Mile Junction Depot and the Junction 10 shopping mall. Then, the area was home to gambier and pepper planters, and these settlements expanded northwards to Kranji in 1845 with the extension of Bukit Timah Road - as Kranji Road and then renamed to Woodlands Road.
From 1903 to an unknown date, Bukit Panjang railway station on the Singapore–Kranji Railway served the Bukit Panjang settlements and plantations. The station was located along present-day Choa Chu Kang Road, near the junction of Woodlands Road, Bukit Panjang Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road. The right-of-way is preserved as part of the Rail Corridor. The station was incorporated into the Federated Malay States Railways, allowing for northwards journeys to Woodlands, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur and southwards journeys to Holland Road, Newton, Tank Road and Pasir Panjang. Trains carried both passengers, goods, mail and stone from Mandai Quarry. In 1932, the railway south of Bukit Panjang station was realigned, with the new route running through a new station at Bukit Timah, Tanglin, Alexandra and Tanjong Pagar. At some point since then, new stations at Woodlands and Kranji also opened, with only Mandai and Bukit Panjang stations from the old alignment continuing to be in use.
In 1912, The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser reported that business magnate Ong Sam Leong tapped the first tree of the Bukit Panjang Rubber Estate, located 10.5 miles from the town.
In 1957, the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) launched Bukit Panjang Estate - this was later renamed to Teck Whye Estate, which was along present day Jalan Teck Whye. The land of the Bukit Panjang Estate and settlements are in present day Choa Chu Kang Central and Teck Whye. These flats were sold as low-cost alternatives for those working in the Bukit Timah region. These SIT flats faced heat-trapping issues, resulting in petitions and community meetings by the residents to escalate the issue.
The Bukit Panjang Community Centre and the one at Jalan Kong Kuan served the community in tackling different local and national issues, also engaging in charity events.
When Bukit Panjang Secondary School shifted to the new premises along Jalan Teck Whye in 1959, the first cohort had no desks and chairs for the first two weeks - when the furniture arrived two weeks later, all rushed to move them in. They also transformed the barren land behind the school into a field.. The English stream Bukit Panjang Secondary School merged with the Chinese stream Choa Chu Kang Government Chinese Middle School, becoming the first integrated government secondary school, Bukit Panjang Government High School.
In 1960, a fund drive to build a mosque was started for one in Bukit Panjang, the nearest mosque then was over seven miles away. The Lembaga Masjid Jamik was constructed along Choa Chu Kang Road with the help of more than 100 volunteers to clear the site. Since then, this mosque has been renamed to Al-Khair Mosque and moved to Teck Whye Crescent.
In 1986, during the planning and construction of the Branch Line (Bukit Line, now incorporated into the North-South Line), the then terminus was named Bukit Panjang before being changed to Choa Chu Kang.
Part of what was considered the area of Bukit Panjang was incorporated into Choa Chu Kang New Town, particularly the land west of Woodlands Road / Upper Bukit Timah Road. Bukit Panjang New Town expanded eastwards towards the Kranji Expressway and Bukit Timah Expressway.
Modern 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, being the only town in Singapore where the change was reversed. Development of the town and advanced earthworks begun on 15 June 1981. In 1981, was spent on widening canals to help prevent flooding in low-lying areas. Housing and Development Board (HDB) 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.
To date, HDB has not designated a town centre within Bukit Panjang. Instead, there are three neighbourhood centres at Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood Centre (256-260 Bangkit Road), Fajar Shopping Centre and Greenridge Shopping Centre.
Demographics
Population history
Age profile The data below is from the population report published by the Singapore Department of Statistics as of June 2026.
Age group (years) Males Females Totalpopulation % of totalpopulation 0–4 2,470 2,240 4,710 3.49 5–9 2,950 2,820 5,770 4.27 10–14 3,510 3,350 6,860 5.08 15–19 3,500 3,500 7,000 5.18 20–24 3,850 3,760 7,610 5.63 25–29 4,570 4,450 9,020 6.68 30–34 4,850 4,810 9,660 7.15 35–39 4,890 5,420 10,310 7.63 40–44 4,440 4,900 9,340 6.91 45–49 4,240 4,790 9,030 6.68 50–54 4,610 5,120 9,730 7.20 55–59 4,620 4,930 9,550 7.07 60–64 5,100 5,500 10,600 7.84 65–69 4,970 4,970 9,940 7.36 70–74 3,600 3,650 7,250 5.37 75–79 2,310 2,390 4,700 3.48 80–84 930 1,180 2,110 1.56 85–89 480 780 1,260 0.93 90+ 220 460 680 0.50 Age group (years) Males Females Totalpopulation % of totalpopulation 0–14 8,930 8,410 17,340 12.8 15–64 44,670 47,180 91,850 68.0 65+ 12,510 13,430 25,940 19.2
The population distribution of Bukit Panjang in 2026 demonstrates an ageing population structure. There is a higher population concentration among the older working-age population, with males and females both peaking at the 60–64 age range at 3.8% and 4.1% respectively.
Household + Resident population by dwelling type in Bukit Panjang (2000−2026)YearHDB flatsCondominiums andother apartmentsLanded propertiesPercentagePercentagePercentage 2000 86,000 7,920 2,540 2005 105,890 10,980 2,780 2010 112,900 12,600 2,990 2015 120,000 15,610 3,220 2020 115,840 19,050 3,190 2025 112,590 20,050 3,150 2026 110,980 20,380 3,140
As of 2026, the percentage of residents in Bukit Panjang residing in HDB flats (82.1%) is higher than the national proportion of HDB dwellers (75.5%), reflecting a greater prevalence of public housing in the area.
Among the population, 51,870 residents, or 38.4% of the population, live in 4-Room Flats, making it the most common type of dwelling.
As of 2025, the average household size in Bukit Panjang is approximately 3.16. Among the 47,700 households in Bukit Panjang, the most common household size is two persons, representing 24.1% of total households. This is closely followed by a household size of three persons, representing 23.5% of all households.
Bukit Panjang has a home ownership rate of 94.8% as of 2025, higher than the national home ownership rate of 91.2%. This reflects a greater prevalence of homeowners in Bukit Panjang.
Ethnicity + Ethnic groups in Bukit Panjang (2000−2020)YearChineseMalays Indians OthersPercentagePercentagePercentagePercentage 2000 74,266 15,798 5,735 760 2010 96,079 20,598 9,161 2,896 2015 103,280 22,230 10,300 3,210 2020 102,800 21,690 10,340 3,450 2025 99,790 22,130 10,530 3,920
Consistent with the rest of Singapore, Bukit Panjang has an ethnically diverse population, with a majority Chinese population, constituting 73.18% of the population as of 2025, slightly lower than the national proportion of 73.95%. In contrast, there is a higher proportion of Malays (16.23%) compared to the national proportion of 13.54%.
Religion
Consistent with the rest of Singapore, the largest religion in Bukit Panjang in 2026 is Buddhism, with 37,600 practising residents (30.72% of the population). The second most common group consists of residents with no religion, with 25,900 residents (21.16%), followed by those practising Islam (22,500 residents, 18.38%). Christianity is practised by 18,600 residents (15.20%), including 8,700 Catholics (7.11%). Other religious affiliations include Taoism (11,100 residents, 9.07%), Hinduism (6,500 residents, 5.31%), and Sikhism (200 residents, 0.16%).
Compared to the national average of 14.99%, there is a substantially higher proportion of residents practising Islam in Bukit Panjang.
Education As of 2025, 98.3% of the population aged above 15 is literate, slightly lower than the national average of 98.6%.
75.2% of residents are literate in two languages, with the most common language pair being English and Chinese (51.0%). 6.0% of Bukit Panjang residents are literate in three or more languages.
+ Highest qualification attained of non-student resident population aged 15 years and over (2025 est.) Qualification Percentage Singapore average Below secondary Secondary Post-secondary (non-tertiary) Polytechnic diploma Professional qualification and other diploma University
As of 2025, the proportion of residents in Bukit Panjang with a university qualification (32.2%) is below the national average of 36.7%.
Language
In Bukit Panjang, the proportion of residents using English as the most frequently spoken language (49.7%) is lower than the national average of 58.1%, ranking the third lowest among all planning areas in Singapore. Additionally, there are 3,000 Tamil speakers, representing 78.9% of the 3,800 Indian language speakers in Bukit Panjang.
Employment and income According to the 2025 General Household Survey, 80,600 of residents aged 15 years and over in Bukit Panjang are employed, out of the 82,800 in the labour force. This equates to an employment rate of 97.3%, higher than the national average of 96.7%. The remaining 39,600 residents (32.4%) aged above 15 in Bukit Panjang are outside the labour force.
+ Gross monthly employment income of employed residents aged 15 years and over (2025 est.) Employmentincome Percentage Singaporeaverage Below S$1,000 S$1,000–S$1,999 S$2,000–S$2,999 S$3,000–S$3,999 S$4,000–S$4,999 S$5,000–S$5,999 S$6,000–S$6,999 S$7,000–S$7,999 S$8,000–S$8,999 S$9,000–S$9,999 S$10,000–S$10,999 S$11,000–S$11,999 S$12,000–S$14,999 S$15,000–S$19,999 S$20,000 and over
+ Monthly household employment income (2025 est.) Householdemployment income Percentage Singaporeaverage No employed person Below S$1,000 S$1,000–S$1,999 S$2,000–S$2,999 S$3,000–S$3,999 S$4,000–S$4,999 S$5,000–S$5,999 S$6,000–S$6,999 S$7,000–S$7,999 S$8,000–S$8,999 S$9,000–S$9,999 S$10,000–S$10,999 S$11,000–S$11,999 S$12,000–S$12,999 S$13,000–S$13,999 S$14,000–S$14,999 S$15,000–S$17,499 S$17,500–S$19,999 S$20,000–S$24,999 S$25,000–S$29,999 S$30,000–S$34,999 S$35,000 and over
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