Singapore’s resident total fertility rate (TFR) sank to a new low of 0.87 in 2025, according to preliminary figures, deepening concerns over how this trend and the rapidly aging population will reshape society and the economy.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Feb. 26 that with birth rates falling at an unprecedented pace, Singapore’s citizen population may start to shrink by the early 2040s without new interventions.
Marriage rates have fallen, while those who are married have fewer or no children. All these factors led to only about 27,500 resident births in 2025, the lowest number in Singapore’s recorded history based on preliminary figures.
He noted that the citizen population, even with immigration, grew just 0.7% in 2025, and this has slowed over the past decade.
He said Singapore’s population is ageing “faster than ever”. One in five citizens was aged 65 and older in 2025, up from one in eight in 2015.
