Singapore to offer $55,000 per child to boost birth rates

Singapore is launching a significant financial incentive program, offering parents around $55,000 per child until they turn 17. This initiative aims to encourage families to have more children, with Deputy Prime Minister Wong stating, "We want every family to know: if you choose to have children, the government is behind you."

The comprehensive support package includes an initial payment of approximately $8,000 upon a child's birth, followed by another $8,000 designated for educational advancement. Wong also indicated reforms to parental leave policies, emphasizing the government's goal to make it "easier for people in Singapore to start a family and raise children."

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We want every family to know: if you choose to have children, the government is behind you. We will provide more support – and that over a longer period of time.

These efforts are a direct response to Singapore's critically low fertility rate, which reached a record low of 0.87 births per woman last year, a decline from 2024. To counteract an aging population, the nation requires both increased birth rates and immigration. The densely populated city-state, home to about six million residents, has seen a decades-long decline in births.

Consequently, Singapore is becoming one of the world's fastest-aging societies. Projections indicate that over one-fifth of the population will be 65 or older this year, with this demographic expected to constitute a quarter of the population by 2023.

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easier for people in Singapore to start a family and raise children.