Singapore births fell 11.4% to 29,864 in 2025, under 30,000 for first time
Why it matters: The drop pushed natural increase down to 3,365 as deaths edged up, deepening pressure from Singapore’s aging population.
Singapore recorded 29,864 live births in 2025, down 11.4% from 33,703 a year earlier and the first time annual births have slipped below 30,000 since independence in 1965. Deaths rose slightly to 26,499 from 26,442, leaving natural increase at 3,365, far below 7,261 in 2024, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s annual report released July 27. The data adds to concern over the city-state’s shrinking fertility base after the resident total fertility rate hit a record low 0.87 in 2025. The median age of first-time mothers also climbed to 32.1, up from 31.3 in 2021, underscoring a longer-term trend toward later childbirth.