Singapore's 2026 haze estimated to cost S$2.32 billion, above 2015 level

Singapore's 2026 haze episode caused an estimated S$2.32 billion in damage as at 31 October, about 4% more than the cost of the 2015 crisis after adjusting for inflation, according to a preliminary assessment by Nanyang Technological University Professor Euston Quah and Singapore University of Social Sciences academic Dr Eugene Or — despite fewer hazy days and a lower average Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading this year.

S$1.83 billion in 2015 becomes S$2.23 billion in today's prices

The researchers put the 2015 haze cost at S$1.83 billion in the prices of that period, which becomes S$2.23 billion in September 2026 prices; the S$2.32 billion figure is about S$90 million higher. The assessment builds on a peer-reviewed framework developed in 2015 by Quah and colleagues, recalculated with updated data and assumptions. It is preliminary, with no monetary breakdown by category or date for a final estimate published.

Fewer polluted days, bigger bill: population and spending push costs up

The estimate covers medical treatment, health risks, lost visitor spending, time lost to illness, protective purchases and reduced public well-being. The researchers attribute the higher bill to a larger population, higher incomes and increased visitor spending: health and tourism losses rose, while losses from illness-related time and protection spending fell. Between 4 September and 6 November, 38 days saw at least one region record an unhealthy 24-hour PSI; on 18 October the western PSI hit 230, the highest since 2015; by 31 October, GP clinics had seen more than 100,000 haze-related visits and polyclinics more than 60,000 under the haze subsidy scheme.

Singapore and Indonesia set up joint task force; scholars urge prevention alongside accountability

On 27 October, Singapore and Indonesia agreed to set up a joint task force to investigate companies suspected of contributing to the haze, and Singapore's National Environment Agency has issued preventive measures notices to several Indonesian companies. Quah and Or argue for combining accountability for companies responsible for burning with public funding for verifiable fire-prevention measures, released in phases tied to results. An earlier estimate from the same team in mid-October had suggested full-year losses could reach S$3.2–3.9 billion; the S$2.32 billion figure published on 8 November is the actual estimate as at 31 October, a different calculation scope.

(Photo above: file photo of Singapore under haze.)