Sheryl Riar

Singapore just went all in on birth rates Fertility fell to a record-low 0.87 in 2025. Birth rates have fallen seriously low That’s not just a dip. That’s a whole country nowhere near replacing itself. It's a massive problem for the country So Singapore is going directly after the biggest things making parenthood harder: money, time, childcare and housing Money: - Every Singaporean child will receive around S$70,000 in direct financial support from birth to age 17 - S$10,000 Baby Gift during the first year - S$2,000 every year from age 1 to 16. - Plus MediSave, CDA support, Edusave and another S$10,000 education top-up at 17 - And every child gets the same baseline support regardless of whether they’re the first or fourth child Time: Childcare leave is increasing to: • 8 days for one child • 10 days for two • 12 days for three or more And it now covers children all the way through age 12. The government will cover the cost of statutory child-related leave up to the reimbursement limit, taking that burden off employers Housing: - First-time families will get an extra BTO ballot chance for every child they have or are expecting. - More kids = more chances of securing a home. The BTO income ceiling is also rising from S$14,000 to S$16,000 Childcare: - Government-supported full-day childcare is being pushed toward S$150/month and infant care toward S$300/month by 2030 Cash alone was never going to fix collapsing birth rates. Singapore is attacking the actual friction around having children: the cost, the time, childcare and getting a home If you want people to have more children, make having children easier Singapore is actually trying that