September 30, 2021

Professor Jean Wei-Jun Yeung (NUS Sociology and Centre for Family and Population Research) was interviewed live on Hello Singapore to discuss the recent population report that shows a decline in fertility and marriage rates and a 4.1% decline in population size.

She stated that the declined birth rate in 2020 does not have much to do with the COVID-19 pandemic as those babies were conceived before the pandemic began. Prof Yeung noted, however, that the 12% decline in marriage rates does clearly tie to the pandemic as the drop during the circuit breaker was sharpest then, and in the 4^th quarter the marriage rate bounced back when restrictions were relaxed. Moreover, transnational marriages had declined from 37% to 30% in 2021 due to travel restrictions. Since marriage and birth rates are closely related in Singapore, a further decline in birth rates in 2022 is to be expected, she added.

Prof Yeung also remarked that the population declined by 4.1% this year. The fertility rate in Singapore is at an ultra-low level, with the total fertility rate (TFR) at 1.1, which is half of the replacement level. Without new immigrants, the population size is likely to continue to decline, particularly as the number of women of childbearing age start to decline in the next 10 to 15 years. She added that Singaporeans will ultimately decide the kind of society they want for the country in the future.

Watch the interview here: https://www.8world.com/stories/hello-singapore/straight-talk-singapore-population-in-brief-1602876