Singapore's Live Births Fall 11.4% in 2025; Deaths Rise Slightly

Singapore experienced a notable decline in live births in 2025, with the total number falling by 11.4% to 29,864, down from 33,703 in 2024. Concurrently, the number of deaths saw a marginal increase of 0.2%, reaching 26,499 compared to 26,442 the previous year. This demographic shift has resulted in a sharp contraction of Singapore's natural population increase, which is the difference between births and deaths.

The crude birth rate, representing live births per 1,000 residents, dropped to 6.5 in 2025 from 7.4 in 2024. The crude death rate remained stable at 6.0 deaths per 1,000 residents. Consequently, Singapore's crude rate of natural increase fell to 0.5 per 1,000 residents in 2025, a decrease from 1.3 in 2024 and significantly lower than the 5.9 recorded in 2006.

Further compounding these trends, the total fertility rate (TFR) in Singapore reached a historic low of 0.87 in 2025. This figure, which represents the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, had previously fallen below 1.0 for the first time in 2023. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong noted that if the TFR remains at this level, reversing the trend will become increasingly difficult due to a diminishing pool of women of childbearing age.

The report also indicated that the median age for first-time mothers in Singapore continued to rise, reaching 32.1 years in 2025, up from 31.3 years in 2021. Approximately 47.5% of all babies born in 2025 were to first-time mothers. The leading causes of death in 2025 were cancer and heart-related diseases, accounting for over half of all registered deaths.

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Assuming the total fertility rate stays at 0.87, it would become “practically impossible” over time to reverse the trend, as Singapore would have fewer women who can bear children.