Portrait of Lawrence Wong

Birthday profile

Lawrence Wong

Lawrence Wong, Singaporean civilist and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Singapore

Born
December 18, 1972
Age in 2026
54
Zodiac sign
Sagittarius
Birth year
1972

About Lawrence Wong

Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai (born 18 December 1972) is a Singaporean politician and civil servant who has served as the fourth prime minister of Singapore since 2024. A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), he has also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marsiling–Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2015 and the minister of finance since 2021. He was an MP for West Coast GRC from 2011 to 2015. Prior to entering politics, Wong worked at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and the Ministry of Health (MOH). He was the principal private secretary to prime minister Lee Hsien Loong between 2005 and 2008. He also served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Energy Market Authority (EMA) between 2009 and 2011. Wong made his political debut in the 2011 general election where he contested in West Coast GRC as part of a five-member PAP team and won. Wong subsequently contested in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC during the 2015 general election and retained his parliamentary seat in the 2020 general election. Prior to his appointment as minister of finance, Wong served as the minister of culture, community and youth between 2012 and 2015, second minister of communications and information between 2014 and 2015, minister of national development between 2015 and 2020, second minister of finance between 2016 and 2021, and minister of education between 2020 and 2021. Wong was the co-chair of a multi-ministerial committee set up by the government in January 2020 to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. As minister for finance, he has overseen the gradual increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) which Lee's government has advocated for – 8% in 2023 and 9% in 2024, up from 7% which had been set since 2007. In April 2022, he was chosen as the leader of the PAP's fourth generation team, placing him in line as Lee's apparent successor. Wong assumed the office of deputy prime minister in June 2022, serving alongside Heng Swee Keat. On 26 November 2022, Wong was appointed to the newly created position of deputy secretary-general of the PAP. Wong was previously chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from 2023 to 2024 as well as deputy chairman between 2021 and 2023. He assumed chairmanship of the Investment Strategies Committee of GIC from 7 July 2023 while he assumed chairmanship of the International Advisory Council (IAC) of the Economic Development Board (EDB) from 8 July 2023 until his subsequent relinquishment to Gan Kim Yong on 1 June 2024. Wong was also appointed deputy chairman of GIC's board of directors on 1 October 2023. On 15 May 2024, Wong succeeded Lee as prime minister, becoming the first prime minister born after the establishment of modern-day Singapore. On 4 December 2024, he was elected as the secretary-general of the PAP. He led the PAP to victory with an increased share of the vote in the 2025 general election. As prime minister, Wong is the highest-paid head of government in the world.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Lawrence Wong timeline

  1. Wong made his political debut in the 2011 general election where he contested in West Coast GRC as part of a five-member PAP team and won.
  2. Wong subsequently contested in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC during the 2015 general election, and retained his parliamentary seat in the 2020 general election.
  3. Wong was the co-chair of a multi-ministerial committee set up by the government in January 2020 to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world when Lawrence Wong was born

Lawrence Wong was born in 1972. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1972

  • #1 song"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack
  • Top movieThe Godfather
  • Top TV showAll in the Family
  • Best-selling bookJonathan Livingston Seagull – Richard Bach

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMark Spitz wins 7 gold medals at Munich Olympics
  • Top headlineWatergate break-in begins Nixon's downfall
  • Technology milestoneAtari founded
  • Defining fadPong (first mainstream video game)
  • Notable inventionPong video game
  • World population3.85 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRichard Nixon
  • Sports championOakland Athletics (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population209.9M

1972 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Lawrence Wong's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19722026
Gas$0.36$3.45/gal
Average home$19,800$435,000
Average income$12,600$67,500
Minimum wage$1.60$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.70$11.95
Postage stamp$0.08$0.73
Population209.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, German National Library. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.