Haze in 2026 estimated to cost Singapore S$2.32 billion, up 4 per cent from 2015: experts

SINGAPORE — This year's haze episode - the worst in more than a decade - has cost Singapore's economy S$2.32 billion as at Oct 31, about 4 per cent higher than in 2015.This is according to a preliminary estimate from Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) Professor Euston Quah and Singapore University of Social Sciences' (SUSS) Dr Eugene Or."The sheer scale of this damage strengthens the case for funding prevention alongside tougher penalties," they argued.The 2026 estimate builds on a published, peer-reviewed cost framework created by Dr Quah, NTU Associate Professor Chia Wai Mun and SUSS' Dr Tan Tsiat Siong in 2015.Then, they estimated 2015 haze costs to be S$1.83 billion, or S$2.23 billion in September 2026 prices.Dr Quah and Dr Or arrived at the larger bill for this year despite fewer hazy days and a lower average Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading. The professors attributed this to a larger population, higher incomes and visitor spending, and updated health data and assumptions.