China has become a popular destination for both holidaymakers and business travelers from Singapore, according to the findings of the latest General Household Survey released by the Singapore Department of Statistics (SDS) Wednesday.

In 2005, China, the United States and Malaysia were the top three countries where Singapore residents made their work-related trips while Malaysia, Thailand and China were the three most popular destinations for Singaporean holidaymakers.

The survey also showed that half of the 2.8 million Singapore residents aged 15 years and over made at least one trip abroad during the last 12 months prior to the survey with the majority of them traveling for holiday.

The average monthly household income from work for Singapore resident households was 5,400 Singapore dollars (US$3,382) in 2005, according to the survey.

"With low inflation, household income increased in real terms between 2000 and 2005 by 1.1 percent per annum," an SDS press release said, adding that the disparity in distribution of per capita household income also increased during the same period with the Gini coefficient rising from 0.49 in 2000 to 0.522 in 2005.

The survey also found that about 15 percent of Singapore resident households lived in private housing while nearly 27 percent lived in five-room or bigger government-subsidized houses in 2005, up from 11 percent and 23.7 percent in 2000 respectively.

Conducted once every 10 years by the SDS, last year's General Household Survey was the second in the series which covered all Singapore residents, including citizens and permanent residents, with usual residence in Singapore.

(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2006)