{"id":"lee-kuan-yew","type":"person","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/lee-kuan-yew","language":"en","name":"Lee Kuan Yew","name_en":"Lee Kuan Yew","name_ne":"ली कुआन यु","description":"1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore (1923–2015)","headline":"1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore (1923–2015)","also_known_as":[],"summary":"Lee Kuan Yew, also known as LKY, was a Singaporean politician and barrister who served as the first prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. A member of the People's Action Party (PAP), his authoritarian governance oversaw the transformation of post-independence Singapore into a highly developed country and one of the four Asian Tigers. He is regarded as the founding father of modern Singapore.","summary_more":[],"facts":[{"key":"born","label":"Born","values":[{"text":"16 September 1923","date":"1923-09-16"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P569"}},{"key":"birthplace","label":"Place of birth","values":[{"text":"Singapore","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q334"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P19"}},{"key":"died","label":"Died","values":[{"text":"23 March 2015","date":"2015-03-23"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P570"}},{"key":"deathplace","label":"Place of death","values":[{"text":"Singapore","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q334"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P20"}},{"key":"citizenship","label":"Citizenship","values":[{"text":"Singapore","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q334"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P27"}},{"key":"occupation","label":"Occupation","values":[{"text":"philosopher","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4964182"},{"text":"autobiographer","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18814623"},{"text":"lawyer","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q40348"},{"text":"statesperson","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q372436"},{"text":"politician","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q82955"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P106"}},{"key":"party","label":"Political party","values":[{"text":"People's Action Party","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q371395"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P102"}},{"key":"education","label":"Education","values":[{"text":"Fitzwilliam College","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q797897"},{"text":"London School of Economics and Political Science","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q174570"},{"text":"University of Cambridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q35794"},{"text":"Raffles Institution","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3244528"},{"text":"National University of Singapore","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q738236"},{"text":"University of London","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q170027"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P69"}},{"key":"spouse","label":"Spouse","values":[{"text":"Kwa Geok Choo","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1076140","start":"1950-09-30","end":"2010-10-02"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P26"}},{"key":"positions","label":"Positions held","values":[{"text":"Minister Mentor (12 August 2004 – 20 May 2011)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q165270","start":"2004-08-12","end":"2011-05-20"},{"text":"Senior Minister (28 November 1990 – 11 August 2004)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20983917","start":"1990-11-28","end":"2004-08-11"},{"text":"Member of the Parliament of Singapore (2 November 1963 – 9 August 1965)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21294917","start":"1963-11-02","end":"1965-08-09"},{"text":"Prime Minister of Singapore (5 June 1959 – 28 November 1990)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q866756","start":"1959-06-05","end":"1990-11-28"},{"text":"Member of the Parliament of Singapore (22 April 1955 – 23 March 2015)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21294917","start":"1955-04-22","end":"2015-03-23"},{"text":"prime minister","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14212"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P39"}},{"key":"awards","label":"Awards","values":[{"text":"Order of Honour","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2268261"},{"text":"Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12177423"},{"text":"Order of the Badge of Honour","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2085270"},{"text":"Order of Friendship","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q791135"},{"text":"Ig Nobel Prize","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184253"},{"text":"Order of the Rising Sun, 1st class","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10901470"},{"text":"Companion of Honour","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16947520"},{"text":"medal \"for 20 years of Kazakhstan's independence\"","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3853542"},{"text":"Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q82381119","date":"2015-03-23"},{"text":"honorary doctor of the University of Hong Kong","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q63072128"},{"text":"honorary doctor of the Fudan University","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q63091758","date":"2005"},{"text":"honorary doctor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q63101620"},{"text":"China Reform Friendship Medal","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q63288407","date":"2018"},{"text":"honorary doctor of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41695835"},{"text":"Order of the Paulownia Flowers","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1156958"}],"source":{"label":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248#P166"}}],"office":null,"sections":[],"cited":[],"cited_from":null,"videos":[],"last_reviewed":null,"organizations":[],"same_as":["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Kuan_Yew","https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A8_%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%81","https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248"],"faq":[{"q":"When was Lee Kuan Yew born?","a":"Lee Kuan Yew was born on 16 September 1923 in Singapore."},{"q":"What positions has Lee Kuan Yew held?","a":"Positions held by Lee Kuan Yew include: Minister Mentor (2004–2011); Senior Minister (1990–2004); Member of the Parliament of Singapore (1963–1965); Prime Minister of Singapore (1959–1990); Member of the Parliament of Singapore (1955–2015)."},{"q":"Where did Lee Kuan Yew study?","a":"Lee Kuan Yew was educated at Fitzwilliam College, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Cambridge, Raffles Institution."}],"related":[{"name":"Tharman Shanmugaratnam","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/tharman-shanmugaratnam"},{"name":"Lim Yew Hock","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/lim-yew-hock"},{"name":"David Marshall","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/david-marshall"},{"name":"Tony Tan","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/tony-tan"},{"name":"Devan Nair","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/devan-nair"},{"name":"Halimah Yacob","url":"https://diginpl.com/people/halimah-yacob"}],"places_in":[],"nearby":[],"image":{"url":"https://diginpl.com/kb-img/lee-kuan-yew-1ad6950ae3.jpg","width":500,"height":668,"license":"Public domain","credit":"White House Photographic Office. 1974-1977","page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prime_Minister_Lee_Kuan_Yew_of_Singapore_Making_a_Toast_at_a_State_Dinner_Held_in_His_Honor,_1975.jpg"},"sources":[{"label":"Wikipedia (English): Lee Kuan Yew","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Kuan_Yew","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"},{"label":"Wikipedia (Nepali): ली कुआन यु","url":"https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%A8_%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%81","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"},{"label":"Wikidata item Q131248","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131248","license":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"},{"label":"Image: Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore Making a Toast at a State Dinner Held in His Honor, 1975.jpg by White House Photographic Office. 1974-1977 (Public domain)","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prime_Minister_Lee_Kuan_Yew_of_Singapore_Making_a_Toast_at_a_State_Dinner_Held_in_His_Honor,_1975.jpg","license":null}],"license":{"text":"CC BY-SA 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/","facts":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"},"attribution":"Text from the Wikipedia article Lee Kuan Yew, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore Making a Toast at a State Dinner Held in His Honor, 1975.jpg — White House Photographic Office. 1974-1977, Public domain.","cite":"\"Lee Kuan Yew\". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/lee-kuan-yew. Retrieved 6 November 2026.","date_modified":"2026-10-31T22:28:21Z","facts_checked":"2026-11-06","alternates":{"html":"https://diginpl.com/people/lee-kuan-yew","en":"https://diginpl.com/people/lee-kuan-yew","ne":"https://diginpl.com/people/lee-kuan-yew?lang=ne"}}