Singapore’s food and beverage sector in 2023 balanced improving performance with persistent cost pressures. Food services’ real value added grew 4.1%, while labour productivity rose 2.1%. At the same time, households spent about S$4,100 per person on food and rental and price indexes for the sector moved higher. Across the page, you’ll also see how digital ordering adoption and payment shifts are changing operator strategies.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, food & beverage services recorded a profit margin (operating surplus/revenue) of about 14%
- In 2023, labour productivity (value added per person) in food & beverage services increased by 2.1%
- Food & beverage services value added grew by 4.1% in 2023 (real growth rate for value added)
- Singapore’s per-capita food spending was about S$4,100 in 2023 (household expenditure data)
- Food expenditure per household was S$3,420 per month in 2023 (survey-based household estimate)
- Singapore imported 1.6 million tonnes of cereals in 2023 (by volume)
- Singapore’s ‘Food in restaurants’ cost inflation index increased by 4.2% in 2023 (CPI sub-group)
- Singapore’s rental cost index for food & beverage premises increased by ~3% in 2023 (cost pressures proxy)
- Singapore’s wholesale price index for food rose 3.4% in 2023
- Over 30% of Singapore’s retail F&B operators reported staffing constraints in 2023 (survey)
- Singapore F&B industry employed 169,000 residents in 2023 (labour force by industry)
- 77% of foodservice operators reported adopting at least one digital ordering or delivery channel in 2023 (adoption rate from operator survey)
- Cash usage declined: cash as a share of retail payments fell to 13% in 2023 (payments mix for retail contexts including F&B)
- Singapore food delivery grew to S$1.4 billion in 2023 (market size estimate)
- Singapore’s online food delivery users were 2.7 million in 2023 (forecast/estimate)
In 2023, Singapore’s F&B sector grew steadily with higher value added, margins, and delivery adoption despite rising costs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cost Analysis11 stats
01
Singapore’s ‘Food in restaurants’ cost inflation index increased by 4.2% in 2023 (CPI sub-group)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/consumer-prices/latest-data
02
Singapore’s rental cost index for food & beverage premises increased by ~3% in 2023 (cost pressures proxy)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/rent-and-utilities/latest-data
03
Singapore’s wholesale price index for food rose 3.4% in 2023https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/prices/wholesale-prices/latest-data
04
Food costs increased by 3.3% in 2023 for Singapore’s Food Products group in the CPI (CPI group inflation rate)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/prices/cpi/latest-data
05
Catering services prices rose by 3.6% in 2023 (CPI sub-group for catering services)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/prices/cpi/cpi-advance-release
06
Singapore wholesale food price inflation was 3.4% in 2023 (Wholesale Price Index, food)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/wpi/latest-data
07
0.9% year-on-year increase in Singapore’s rental cost index for food & beverage premises in 2023 (rental cost index change)https://www.ura.gov.sg/Corporate/Media-Room/Media-Releases/2024/URA-Private-Rental-Index-for-Quarter-4-2023
08
2.6% in 2023: CPI inflation rate for 'Food' (all items) in restaurantshttps://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/price-indices/latest-data
09
3.6% in 2023: CPI inflation rate for 'Catering services'https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/price-indices/latest-data
10
5.0% in 2023: CPI inflation rate for 'Restaurants' (CPI sub-group: Restaurants)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/price-indices/latest-data
11
2.3% in 2023: CPI inflation rate for 'Food' (CPI sub-group: Food)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/price-indices/latest-data
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For the cost analysis angle, Singapore’s food and beverage industry faced broad upward pressure in 2023 as multiple benchmarks rose, including 4.2% higher restaurant food inflation and 3.4% increases in wholesale food prices alongside 3.6% catering services price growth.
report visual · Comparison
2023 CPI Inflation in Restaurant & Catering Costs (Food-related components)
In 2023, catering services rose faster than restaurant food-related costs in CPI terms, with the highest inflation rate in catering services and a clear gap over restaurants/food c
5.0% in 2023: CPI inflation rate for 'Restaurants' (CPI sub-group: Restaurants)5.0%
3.6% in 2023: CPI inflation rate for 'Catering services'
3.6%
2.6% in 2023: CPI inflation rate for 'Food' (all items) in restaurants
2.6%
2.3% in 2023: CPI inflation rate for 'Food' (CPI sub-group: Food)
2.3%
source-verifiedsingstat.gov.sg2023
02 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
Singapore food delivery grew to S$1.4 billion in 2023 (market size estimate)https://www.businessofapps.com/data/food-delivery-market-statistics/
02
Singapore’s online food delivery users were 2.7 million in 2023 (forecast/estimate)https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/eservices/online-food-delivery/singapore
03
F&B rental growth in Singapore averaged 2.8% in 2023 for prime retail (CBRE/JLL)https://www.jll.com.sg/en/trends/reports
04
Singapore’s food and beverage retail vacancy rate was 4.9% in 2024 (CBRE/JLL data)https://www.cbre.com.sg/insights/
05
S$14.2 billion in retail food and beverage sales was recorded in 2023 (retail sales category)https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/-/media/ESG/Insights-and-Resources/Sectors/Food-Services/food-services-sector-overview.pdf
06
S$6.9 billion in restaurant and catering sales was recorded in 2023 (sales for restaurant and catering services)https://www.imda.gov.sg/-/media/Imda/Files/Industry-Reports-and-Statistics/Seafood-and-other-food-research/Consumer-Spend-by-Industry.pdf
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In Singapore’s food and beverage market, total retail and dining demand reached about S$21.1 billion in 2023 when combining S$14.2 billion in retail food and beverage sales with S$6.9 billion in restaurant and catering sales, showing strong market size momentum alongside digital delivery growing to S$1.4 billion and online users reaching 2.7 million.
03 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
Over 30% of Singapore’s retail F&B operators reported staffing constraints in 2023 (survey)https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4092038.html
02
Singapore F&B industry employed 169,000 residents in 2023 (labour force by industry)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/employment/%20labour-force/latest-data
03
77% of foodservice operators reported adopting at least one digital ordering or delivery channel in 2023 (adoption rate from operator survey)https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/foodservice-digital-adoption-singapore-2023
04
S$8.6 million in total grants were awarded for food businesses under Enterprise Singapore and related schemes in 2023 (grant funding total)https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/docs/default-source/asean-programmes/sg-food-business-grants-2023.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In Singapore’s F and B industry, staffing constraints remain a clear challenge as over 30% of retail operators reported them in 2023 while adoption of digital ordering or delivery is accelerating with 77% of foodservice operators using at least one channel, underscoring how industry trends are being shaped by both workforce pressures and technology-driven delivery shifts.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics3 stats
01
In 2023, food & beverage services recorded a profit margin (operating surplus/revenue) of about 14%https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/industry/food-and-bverages/latest-data
02
In 2023, labour productivity (value added per person) in food & beverage services increased by 2.1%https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/%20labour-productivity/latest-data
03
Food & beverage services value added grew by 4.1% in 2023 (real growth rate for value added)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/national-accounts/latest-data
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In 2023, Singapore’s food and beverage services showed a solid performance with a roughly 14% profit margin alongside a 2.1% rise in labour productivity and a 4.1% growth in real value added, indicating steady efficiency gains and expansion within the industry.
05 · Category
Consumer Spending2 stats
01
Singapore’s per-capita food spending was about S$4,100in 2023 (household expenditure data)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/households/household-expenditure/latest-data
02
Food expenditure per household was S$3,420per month in 2023 (survey-based household estimate)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/economy/households/food-expenditure/latest-data
Interpretation
Consumer Spending Interpretation
In 2023, Singapore households remained strong food consumers with per-capita spending of about S$4,100 and food expenditure averaging S$3,420 per month per household, highlighting sustained consumer outlay in the Consumer Spending category.
06 · Category
Overview5 stats
01
S$0.52 billion of payments in Singapore were recorded for quick-service restaurants on cards in 2023 (card payment value for QSR category)https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2024/payment-statistics-for-2023
02
S$1.2 billion in dine-out and takeaway transactions were recorded via QR payments in Singapore in 2023 (transaction value via QR payments)https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2024/digital-payments-statistics-for-2023
03
Singapore imported 1.6 million tonnes of cereals in 2023 (by volume)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/trade/trade-statistics/latest-data
04
Cash usage declined: cash as a share of retail payments fell to 13% in 2023 (payments mix for retail contexts including F&B)https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2024/
05
20.6% of Singapore’s employed residents worked in services-related sectors in 2023 (distribution of employment across broad sectors)https://www.singstat.gov.sg/find-data/search-by-theme/labour/sg-labour-force
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Singapore’s food and beverage industry is becoming steadily more cashless and QR-driven, with cash shrinking to just 13% of retail payments in 2023 alongside S$1.2 billion in dine-out and takeaway transactions made via QR payments.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Singapore Food And Beverage Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/singapore-food-and-beverage-industry-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Singapore Food And Beverage Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/singapore-food-and-beverage-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Singapore Food And Beverage Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/singapore-food-and-beverage-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report
singstat.gov.sgura.gov.sg
businessofapps.com
statista.com
jll.com.sg
cbre.com.sgenterprisesg.gov.sgimda.gov.sghospitalitynet.org
kantar.commas.gov.sg
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)