2024 Dragon Year failed to boost S’pore’s total fertility rate, which remains at a low of 0.97

SINGAPORE – The Chinese Year of the Dragon failed to lift Singapore’s total fertility rate (TFR), which remained low at 0.97 in 2024 – the same figure as in 2023.

Said Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO): “The Dragon Year effect has been diminishing over the years, reflecting the generational shifts in attitudes and priorities among young couples.”

Preliminary data showed that there were 30,800 resident births in 2024, a slight increase from the 30,500 such births in 2023, said Ms Indranee, who oversees the National Population and Talent Division under the PMO.

A resident birth refers to a child who is born to at least one parent who is a Singaporean or permanent resident.

The slight increase in the number of babies born in 2024 did not lift the TFR, which refers to the average number of babies each woman would have during her reproductive years. The preliminary TFR was still 0.97 in 2024, and addressing the low TFR remains a national priority, Ms Indranee said.

Speaking in Parliament on Feb 28, she pointed out that the low fertility rate and the rapidly ageing population have significant implications on Singapore’s economy and society.

“As our local workforce growth slows, it will be increasingly challenging to sustain economic growth and maintain a dynamic economy,” she said. “There will be fewer young people to support a growing elderly population.”

In 2023, Singapore’s TFR

fell to below 1 for the first time,

dropping to a record low of 0.97 – among the world’s lowest. What it means is that the average number of children each woman has is less than what is needed to replace those in the population who die.

A replacement rate of 2.1 is the level of fertility at which the population replaces itself from one generation to the next.

In the Chinese zodiac calendar, the Dragon Year has traditionally been seen as an auspicious one by Chinese couples in which to have children, as the dragon is associated with good fortune and leadership, among other desirable traits.

Singapore’s TFR rose in the past three Dragon years, in 1988, 2000 and 2012.

Institute of Policy Studies senior research fellow Tan Poh Lin explained that while there could be more babies born in 2024 than in 2023, the TFR remains the same in both years as there could be more women in the prime child-bearing age groups in 2024, for example.

In 2024, there were 24,800 resident marriages, fewer than the 26,500 in 2023. A resident marriage is one where either or both members of the couple are residents, meaning they are Singapore citizens or PRs.

Ms Indranee said that as Singapore celebrates 60 years of independence in 2025, it must address the twin demographic challenges of the low fertility rate and rapidly ageing population for the country to continue to thrive.

To this end, she outlined the measures the Government has taken to promote marriage and parenthood, such as shared parental leave, which

will give parents 10 additional weeks of paid leave.

This will start on April 1.

On Feb 18 when he delivered his Budget speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong

announced the Large Families Scheme

to encourage couples to have more children.

Ms Indranee said the Government’s marriage and parenthood surveys show that over a third of married couples want to have three or more children, but fewer couples actually have more than two. She added that some couples worry about having less time for each child, while others are daunted by the prospect of higher expenses.

The latest figures released by the Department of Statistics show that fewer women at the end of their child-bearing years have three or more children.

In 2024, 18 per cent of resident ever-married women aged between 40 and 49 fell in this category, down from 33.5 per cent in 2004.

Ms Indranee noted that existing measures already support parents who have more children. For example, families get more under the Baby Bonus Scheme and parenthood tax rebate for each subsequent child they have.

For example, the first- and second-born children get $11,000 in

the form of the Baby Bonus Cash Gift,

while the third and subsequent children get $13,000.

“But we want to give greater assurance to couples who want to have larger families,” Ms Indranee said. For the third and subsequent Singaporean children born on or after Feb 18, families on the Large Families Scheme will get:

Ms Indranee said the Government will provide more details on how to use Large Family LifeSG Credits later this year.

She also said more than 30 companies from different sectors will also provide deals for families with three or more children – as part of a “societal movement to celebrate and support these families”.

For example, private-hire services like Grab and Gojek will offer discounts for bookings on their larger vehicles. The FairPrice Group will also offer “value bundles” where large families can save on essential groceries, she said.

Ms Indranee said that for the family-friendly policies to work, mindsets and culture have to shift in tandem. And one key area is workplace support, where companies, supervisors and co-workers all contribute to fostering a family-friendly workplace culture.

Various MPs, including Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong GRC), Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) and Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar GRC), also asked for more childcare leave for certain working parents, such as those with more children and those seeking fertility treatment.

Ms Indranee said that each working parent with a child under seven years old has six days of paid childcare leave a year. And from 2024, the unpaid infant care leave was also doubled to 12 days per parent per year in the child’s first two years of life.

Ms Indranee said the Government would continue to review parental leave provisions in consultation with parents and its tripartite partners, adding: “While we understand the desire for more childcare leave, any further leave enhancement has to be carefully considered and must strike a balance between the needs of different caregivers and the operational impact on employers.”

Number of new citizens and PRs rose in 2024

Turning to immigration, Ms Indranee said immigrants help to moderate the impact of Singapore’s low birth rate and ageing population.

She said the values of openness and multiculturalism served Singapore well over the past 60 years, and described these two values as key strengths that have helped Singapore make its way in the world.

About 24,000 more people became Singaporeans in 2024, and about 35,000 new permanent residencies were granted. Of the new citizens, 1,400 were children born overseas to Singaporean parents.

The average number of new citizenships and new PRs granted each year over the past five years is slightly higher than that over the preceding period, Ms Indranee said. And many of the newcomers have become not just friends, but family over time, she added.

Over a third of citizen marriages each year in the past decade were transnational unions, meaning they involved a Singaporean and a foreigner. A citizen marriage is one involving at least one Singaporean.

Said Ms Indranee: “We will continue to carefully manage the pace of immigration, taking into account factors such as the falling TFR.”