PUBLISHED ONFebruary 26, 2026 10:10 AMBYSean LerSingapore's resident total fertility rate (TFR) reached a new low of 0.87 in 2025, revealed Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong in Parliament on Thursday (Feb 26).
Speaking at the committee of supply debate for the Prime Minister's Office, DPM Gan said that low birth rates and population will "profoundly" affect Singapore.
"Low birth rates and population will profoundly shape our nation, our society and our economy in the years ahead of us. Even with immigration, the growth of our citizen population has slowed over the decade."
Singapore's birth rates fell from 0.9 per cent per annum between 2015 and 2019, to 0.8 per cent between 2020 and 2024, and falling further to 0.7 per cent in 2025.
DPM Gan also cautioned that Singapore's citizen population will start to shrink by the early part of the 2040s if no new measures are taken.
Echoing what PM Lawrence Wong said during the earlier Budget debate wrap-up, DPM Gan said that Singapore "cannot give up" on improving its birth rates.
He went on to explain the consequences: "Our economy, our economic growth, and correspondingly, our income growth will slow at the same time. Healthcare and social spending will have to increase to support our growing population of seniors.
"This tremendous strain will be felt at the national level, but also at the individual household level."
He acknowledged that more will need to be done as fertility is a multi-faceted challenge that reflects broader generational shifts in life, priorities and mindsets.
@asiaone What will future Singapore look like if it continues to have a low total fertility rate of 0.87? Speaking at the committee of supply debate for the Prime Minister's Office, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong illustrated the severity of the situation using the Parliament Chamber as an example. #sgnews #Singapore #Parliament #birthrate ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
In 2024, there were 29,237 citizen births, an increase of 1.2 per cent over the previous year. But this fell to about 27,500 citizen births last year.
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