Illustrative image. (Source: channelnewsasia.com)Singapore (VNA) – The number of babiesborn in Singapore were 39,039 last year, a 1.5 percent drop from 2017 and thelowest over the last eight years, according to a report by the Immigration andCheckpoints Authority.
At the same time, the number of deaths grew by 1.8 percent,from 20,905 in 2017 to 21,282 last year, thereport said.
The country'stotal fertility rate also dipped from 1.16 in 2017 to 1.14 in 2018,well below the replacement rate of 2.1.
The median age of resident live births for first-timemothers was 30.6 years last year, compared with 29.7 years in 2009.
These figures have caused greatconcern over Singapore’s aging population.
The National University of Singapore (NUS)’ssociologist Tan Ern Ser said the downward trend in births will generallycontinue. This is a concern, he added, as the population must be replenished toensure that a vibrant economy can be maintained, which can also support agreying population.
The birth figures reflectcurrent socio-economic trends, such as more young people choosing to be singleand couples delaying marriage and parenthood, Associate Professor KangSoon-Hock of the Singapore University of Social Sciences said. But increaseduncertainties because of digital disruption, global financial volatility andclimate change also play a part.
Employers should do more to help workers find abalance while Singaporemay have to review its stance on immigration if births keep dropping.–VNA
VNA
