The Singapore government plans to grant more citizenship to immigrants and increase the number of permanent residents (PRs) amid a historically low birth rate.
“Our birth rate has reached a new low. Our preliminary resident total fertility rate (TFR) for 2025 is 0.87,” Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said in Parliament on Thursday.
“This is a significant drop from the TFR of 0.97 the year before, and much lower than the TFR of 1.24 just a decade ago,” he added.
He said the low birth rate was attributed to declining marriage rates and fewer or no children among married couples.
Gan also said the declining birth rates is a reflection of broader shifts in priorities in life and mindset.
“Attitudes towards marriage and parenthood are shaped by many factors – workplace norms and employer practices, availability of familial and community support, and social attitudes towards having and raising children.”
Data has shown marriage numbers in Singapore have been falling in over a decade.
In 2025, marriages fell to the lowest at 24,687, according to a report by the Straits Times.
The number of marriages in 2014 was 28,407 based on a report titled ‘Family Trends Report 2025’ released by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
2022 saw the highest number of marriages at 29,389 and it was the only year where the number of marriages was higher than 2014.
The spike in 2022 was partly due to the postponement of marriages in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MSF report also revealed people are getting married later.
The median age at first marriage rose to 31.1 years in 2024, from 30.2 in 2014 for grooms. For brides, it had risen to 29.6 years from 28.2 years for the same period.
Reports cited a number of reasons for the declining fertility in Singapore.
Prioritisation of careers, financial stability and finding the “right partner” are some of the reasons for delaying marriages.
Uncertain economic outlook and high living costs that include housing and costs of weddings, contribute to deferring marriage plans.
The long turnover time of 5 years in purchasing a Build-to-Order (BTO) flat which was shortened to less than 3 years also contributed to delay in marriages.
High costs of living and child-raising are often cited by couples as reasons to delay having children or choosing to have fewer children, according to the International Business Times.
Such costs include the cost of housing, education, childcare and general living costs. Singapore was the eighth most expensive city to live in based on a report by Visual Capital in 2025.
Many young adults prioritise education and career development, delaying marriage and parenthood.
Work demands, long hours and concerns about career progression by taking parental leave can discourage family expansion.
Gan said the government has supported Singaporeans in starting families over the years.
He cited enhanced support for families over the years in housing, preschool, education and healthcare, including support for working parents in managing their work and caregiving responsibilities through the new Shared Parental Leave scheme and doubling the mandatory Government-Paid Paternity Leave from two weeks to four weeks.
He said that Singapore will grant more citizenship to foreigners, suggesting that the support may not be adequate in lifting the fertility rate.
“Last year, we granted around 25,000 citizenships. We expect to take in between 25,000 and 30,000 new citizens annually, over the next five years, depending on our demographic trends including our TFR,” Gan said.
He also said the government will increase the intake of PRs as the “pathway to work towards citizenship” to “about 40,000 annually over the next five years,” 14% higher than the 35,000 PRs last year.
Singapore’s Fertility Rate Among the Lowest
The declining birth rate in Singapore is in line with the broader global trend of declining fertility but its fertility rate is one of the lowest in the world.
The global fertility rate has declined significantly over the past several decades, from around 5 children per woman in 1950 to about 2.2 to 2.3 today.
The global fertility is just slightly above the 2.1 children per woman replacement level needed to keep a population stable without immigration, based on a report last year by Pew Research Center.
Singapore’s TFR of 0.87 is below the global replacement level.
Gan spoke about the need to increase the number of immigrants as Singapore’s population, including immigrants, has slowed over the past decade.
In 2025, Singapore’s population grew 0.7%, from 0.8% per annum over the period of 2020 to 2025, and from an average of 0.9% per annum over the period of 2015 to 2020.
“At the same time, our population is ageing faster than ever, with the baby boomer generation now in their 60s and beyond,” he said.
“Last year, 1 in 5 citizens was aged 65 and above, compared to 1 in 8 in 2015, just ten years ago,” he added.
