Singapore tries novel approach to address plummeting birth rates

Singapore has kickstarted a new national workgroup to tackle its quickly declining fertility rate, with officials pledging reforms meant to boost marriage and parenthood.

Key Takeaways:

• Singapore's fertility rate has dropped to a record low of 0.87.

• The government has launched an interdisciplinary workgroup to boost marriage and births in the country.

• It is believed that issues like finances, work-life balance, housing, education, and more are preventing young adults from pursuing parenthood.

The Details:

The country's new initiative is meant to support Singaporeans and encourage them toward marriage and parenthood, concentrating on major challenges such as financial pressures, work-life balance, housing, health care, and access to preschool and education.

The Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, led by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, includes eight additional political office holders from the ministries of Health, Education, Manpower, and other appropriate sectors.

The group plans to publish a comprehensive report detailing its findings in early 2027, although preliminary recommendations may be introduced sooner.

Addressing reporters on April 29 at the Prime Minister’s Office in The Treasury, Indranee explained that the workgroup represents a departure from previous strategies, which primarily depended on policy tools like enhanced subsidies, Baby Bonus schemes, and Child Development Account support.

Indranee pointed out that the novel approach hopes to engage a wider network of stakeholders — including employers, religious bodies, and the broader community — portraying the initiative as a shared national responsibility, instead of being solely a government-powered project. After all, the matter is deeply personal, shaped by individuals’ mindsets, attitudes, values, and life aspirations—areas where government involvement must remain limited, Indranee said. 

“There is a tendency to generally ask: ‘So what's the government going to do?’ And the expectation is that that will just result in a policy change. You can do that for some things, but not when it involves intangibles like this,” Indranee said. “We have identified a mindset shift as a big part of the work... and (this) has to be done in collaboration with society. So although we are a work group... my entire committee is the whole of Singapore, because we need the whole of Singapore."

Zoom In:

Singapore’s total fertility rate (TFR) decreased to a historic low of 0.87 last year, down from 0.97 the previous year, a trend Indranee cautioned would have far-reaching consequences if not tackled. 

Regarding the country’s abysmal birth rates, Indranee said, “This is an existential issue for us, and we must address it before it becomes irreversible. Given the importance of this issue, it cannot be business as usual. We need a marriage and parenthood reset.” 

The lawmaker highlighted housing, caregiving, and preschool education as major domains where earlier interventions could be introduced.

When questioned about timelines and assessable results, Indranee responded that while no particular targets have been determined at that point, she expressed hope that more signs of progress would surface as time went on. 

“What would really, really be good is if we have more babies than we had last year, and if our TFR (or total fertility rate) figure is better than it was last year,” Indranee said. 

The lawmaker elaborated that progress would also be seen in more chances for young people to connect and establish relationships, as well as in giving those contemplating parenthood greater confidence that support is available, and that family life can be rewarding. 

Other barometers of success, Indranee said, would include a decline in stigma surrounding fertility treatments and the implementation of more supportive workplace practices that encourage better work-life balance.

One priority of the workgroup would be to examine the career disadvantages often encountered by mothers. Indranee suggested reframing the period of motherhood as a temporary “pause,” where women can step away from their careers for a few years to have and raise children, with confidence that their employers will support their return.

“Right now, it seems the conversation is always binary. When you talk to employers and employees, it's almost as though if I have family time, somehow work has to be sacrificed, or if I'm doing work, family has to be sacrificed. And honestly speaking, that shouldn't be the case,” Indranee said.

The Bottom Line:

Singapore’s new workgroup raises key questions about how societies understand and support the family as the fundamental unit of social life. While efforts to make workplaces more family-friendly are welcome, deeper renewal is needed — one that affirms the dignity of both motherhood and fatherhood, and recognizes children not as burdens, but as blessings.

Singapore should also take steps to repeal its decades-long permissive abortion policies, as its loose abortion laws are a major contributor to the country’s low birth rates.

As the world watches Singapore’s efforts unfold, one thing remains clear: reversing declining birth rates necessitates a complete recalibration of cultural priorities, and a realization of the unchangeable truth that robust families form the basis of a flourishing society.