Singapore’s “international migrant stock” (foreign population, I guess) has crossed 40 per cent by the middle of this year, according to the United Nations.

Hong Kong has an international migrant stock of more than 2.7 million (38.8 per cent of the total population) and Malaysia over 2.3 million (8.5 per cent), according to the UN.

The proportion is much higher in the Gulf – 68.8 per cent in Kuwait (about 2.1 million), over 76 per cent in the United Arab Emirates (nearly 3.3 million), 86.6 per cent in Qatar (1.3 million) – but not in Saudi Arabia: 27.8 per cent (almost 7.3 million).