A total of 825 more babies were born in 2006 compared with the previous year.

At the same time, 17,052 people died last year.

As a result, the population in Singapore - comprising both citizens and foreigners - grew naturally by 22,323, an increase over the previous year's growth of 21,924.

This is according to provisional data from the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority's (ICA) Registry of Births and Deaths.

This natural population growth, however, does not include the immigrants who entered the country last year.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.