How South Korea nudged its birth rate back up – and what Singapore can learn
CNA
South Korea pulled back from a record-low fertility rate of 0.72 in 2023. As Singapore hits its own new low, experts say it could learn a thing or two from the East Asian country.
SINGAPORE: As Singapore's birth rate hits a historic low, South Korea's modest but notable rebound offers a ray of hope and possible lessons, experts said.
Singapore's total fertility rate (TFR) fell to 0.87 in 2025, parliament was told on Thursday (Feb 26), continuing a slide that first pushed the country below 1.0 in 2023.
A TFR below one means the average woman has less than one child in her lifetime – far below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to keep the population from shrinking.
For South Korea, its TFR declined for eight consecutive years to a record low of 0.72 in 2023, the lowest of any country in the world. But in the two years since, it has edged upwards: 0.75 in 2024 and 0.8 in 2025.
In a landscape where most developed nations continue to see fertility rates fall, that reversal stands out. What drove it? And can Singapore replicate any of it?
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