Proportion doubles to 35% over decade up to last year, study shows
By
Zakir Hussain, Political Correspondent
Men over 40 here are tending to marry foreign women younger than themselves, with four-fifths of the brides under 40. -- ST FILE PHOTO
IT'S official: More older Singaporean men whom Cupid missed are seeking marital bliss by marrying non-Singaporean women.
Compared to 1998, when only 18 per cent of such marriages involved men above 40, that proportion doubled to 35 per cent last year.
S'pore's population hit 4.84m
BOTH foreign brides and grooms have also contributed to the national effort to make more Singaporean babies. Last year, 9,870 babies had a foreign parent. They formed 30per cent of the babies born as citizens.
The country's fertility rate was 1.28 last year, down a notch from 1.29 in 2007, and way short of the 2.1 replacement rate.
These men also tend to marry foreign women significantly younger, with four-fifths of their brides being under 40.
These figures, contained in an occasional paper put out by the National Population Secretariat (NPS), corroborate anecdotal evidence from marriage agencies, counsellors and MPs.
Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Charles Chong says he now gets at least one plea for help each week from a resident who is in such a marriage, and these numbers have been increasing over the past few years.
A number of these marriages fail due to cultural differences or financial difficulties, he notes, while pointing out that 'many more are working well, and the children go on to excel in school'.
The NPS paper on marriages between citizens and non-Singaporeans over the past 10 years is part of an effort to highlight emerging population trends.
It comes at a time when more Singaporeans are marrying non-citizens. In 1998, 6,969 did so. This figure rose to 8,136 last year, making up one-third of all marriages.
Of this group, 6,360 - 78 per cent - involve Singaporean men marrying foreign women.
Mr Chong estimates that 60 foreign spouses become citizens each year in his constituency of 48,000.
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
