Older Singaporeans wedded to the ideal of home ownership may not realise it, but social norms around household formation may be changing. Survey data shows it is more common for young people to live outside the family home.

Data from the Department of Statistics shows that between 1990 and 2020, the number of Singaporeans and permanent residents under the age of 35 who are either living alone or away from their parents rose from 33,400 to 51,300. The upward trend is accelerating. The figure jumped by over 10,000 between 2019 and 2020. It included singles and those who are widowed, divorced, separated or married but not living with their spouse.