Prevalence of dementia in Singapore: Changes across a decade

Abstract INTRODUCTION The study aimed to assess changes in the prevalence of dementia in Singapore over the past decade. METHODS The Well‐being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) 2023 and the WiSE 2013 studies were comprehensive, single‐phase, cross‐sectional surveys conducted among older adults aged ≥60 years in Singapore. WiSE 2023 included 2010 older adults and 1798 informants, whereas WiSE 2013 comprised 2565 older adults and 2421 informants. RESULTS The weighted prevalence of dementia based on the 10/66 Diagnostic Research Group (DRG) criteria was 8.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.3–10.7) in the WiSE 2023 study compared to 10% in the WiSE 2013 study (95% CI: 8.7–11.5). The proportion of those with undiagnosed dementia decreased significantly from 70.6% in WiSE 2013 to 51.5% in WiSE 2023 ( p ‐value = 0.002). DISCUSSION A non‐significant 12% reduction (95% CI: 1.1–3.5) in dementia prevalence was observed in Singapore over a decade, based on the WiSE 2013 and WiSE 2023 studies. Highlights The prevalence of dementia decreased from 10% to 8.8% over a decade in Singapore. The prevalence varied by age group, ethnicity, employment status, and health factors. The prevalence of undiagnosed dementia decreased significantly from 70.6% to 51.5%.