Singapore's Fertility Conundrum: Navigating Low Birth Rates with Immigration

Singapore's fertility rate hit a record low of 0.87 in 2025, sparking government plans to manage immigration to address demographic challenges. Despite financial incentives to boost birth rates, the country will adopt a strategic immigration policy, granting citizenship to 25,000-30,000 people annually over the next five years.

Singapore's fertility rate reached a historic low of 0.87 in 2025, prompting the government to emphasize immigration management as a strategy to counterbalance the country's declining birth rates. This was highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Thursday.

Despite continued efforts to incentivize parenthood, the nation's fertility figures have remained below 1.0 since 2023. Gan shared that the government plans to grant citizenship to between 25,000 and 30,000 foreigners annually over the next five years, depending on evolving demographic trends.

Gan also noted that the permanent resident intake will be adjusted as it is a pathway to citizenship, with expected annual admissions of around 40,000 PRs. The long-term demographic shifts, characterized by low birth rates and an ageing population, are anticipated to profoundly impact Singapore's society and economy.

(With inputs from agencies.)