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National Population and Talent Division
Parliamentary Replies

Parliamentary reply by DPM Teo Chee Hean on birth and singlehood rates

9 July 2012

Singapore faces the challenge of declining birth rates, with the resident Total Fertility Rate falling to 1.20 in 2011, as ever-married women have fewer children over time and the proportion of singles among Singaporeans in their 30s has risen steadily since 1995.

TWELFTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE
WRITTEN ANSWER
MONDAY, 9 JULY 2012

BIRTH RATES AND PREVALENCE OF SINGLEHOOD IN LAST 15 YEARS

Mrs Lina Chiam:
To ask the Prime Minister over the last 15 years what has been (i) the birth rate among married couples; and (ii) the percentage of single Singaporeans.

Mr Teo Chee Hean (for the Prime Minister):
Singapore faces the challenge of declining birth rates. The last time that the resident Total Fertility Rate (TFR) was above the replacement level of 2.1 was in 1976. The resident TFR was 1.20 in 2011.

Ever married females are having fewer children over time. From 1996 to 2011, the average number of children born to ever-married citizen females aged 30-39 declined from 1.89 to 1.52. Over the same period, the average number of children born to ever-married citizen females aged 40-49 has declined from 2.32 to 2.06. (Please refer to Chart 1.)

Chart 1: Average number of children born to ever-married citizen females aged 30-49 years

Bar chart comparing age groups 30-39 and 40-49 from 1990 to 2011, with values declining from 2.76 to 2.06.

Source: Department of Statistics Note: 1995 data is not available, as this was not collected in the General Household Survey 1995.

The proportion of single Singaporeans has been rising. Among Singaporean men aged 30-34, the proportion of singles rose from 35% in 1995 to 44% in 2011. Among Singaporean women aged 30-34, the proportion of singles rose from 21% in 1995 to 31% in 2011. (Please refer to Chart 2.)

Chart 2: Proportion of singles among citizens aged 30-39 (%)

Bar chart comparing males and females aged 30-34 and 35-39 from 1990 to 2011, with males showing higher values.

Source: Department of Statistics