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Review immigration policy, Singapore’s Plan B for a plunging fertility rate
It is prudent to acknowledge that increasing immigration may be necessary to counterbalance the ageing population.
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A well-planned and comprehensive immigration strategy is a more sustainable solution than promoting population growth, says the writer.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Corinna Lim
Singapore’s fertility rate has been declining over the past four decades, despite significant efforts like the marriage and parenthood measures since 2001.
Singapore’s resident total fertility rate (TFR) – which refers to the average number of babies each woman would have during her reproductive years – has steadily decreased from 1.41 in 2001 to 1.1 in 2020, with minor upticks occurring in Dragon years.
