ANN/PhnomPenhPost-Sept 23
In 10 years or so, there could be more funerals than baby showers to attend as the number of deaths outstrips births among Singaporeans. If – or when – this happens, Singapore’s population would shrink without immigration. This will have far-reaching consequences, including for the size of Singapore’s workforce and economic dynamism, say academics who study population issues. It will also have an impact on the caregiving burden and the social fabric, they noted. On Sept 9, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Indranee Rajah said in a written reply to a parliamentary question: “Based on current trends, the number of citizen deaths could exceed the number of citizen births in the first half of the 2030s.” She was responding to Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa, who had asked for the number of citizen deaths in the past decade, and the year in which this figure would exceed citizen births. There were 24,726 citizen deaths in 2023. This was a 40 per cent jump from 17,691 deaths in 2014. In contrast, citizen births fell over the same time period. A PMO spokeswoman told The Straits Times that there were 28,877 such births in 2023, a 13 per cent fall from 33,193 in 2014. In her reply, Ms Indranee said the projections are meant to illustrate the growth and change in population that could happen if certain demographic assumptions prevail over the projected period. These assumptions may or may not be realized, she added. The Republic has put in place an arsenal of measures to boost the birth rate over the past two decades. This includes providing Baby Bonus cash gifts for newborns and more maternity and paternity leave and extending government co-funding for in-vitro fertilization treatment for older women. On the other hand, Singapore’s population is rapidly ageing. By 2030, that figure is expected to rise to about one in four. Academics interviewed were not surprised by the PMO’s projections, saying that countries with low birth rates such as China, Japan and Italy are already seeing more deaths than births. Read more at: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/international/more-singaporean-deaths-than-births-possible-by-first-half-of-2030s-prime-minister-s-office
