A new working group will be set up to consider marriage The parental issue comes as the total fertility rate (TFR) for Singapore residents fell to a record low of 0.87 in 2025, based on preliminary figures. On February 26th, he gave a speech to the Diet at the Prime Minister’s official residence. Indrani Raja He said a broader reset was needed in how society views and supports marriage and child-rearing.

She said this includes rethinking how workplaces can better support family life and recognizing that everyone has a role to play in changing Singapore’s current path.

The working group, which will be set up with relevant agencies, will be chaired by Indrani, who is also the Second Minister of Finance and National Development.

The government also plans to ramp up research on marriage and child-rearing in 2026 to better understand how attitudes and perceptions have changed, she said during a debate on the Downing Street budget.

singapore’s TFR It decreased from 0.97 in 2024 to 0.87 in 2025, the lowest on record.

Indrani, who oversees the Marriage and Parenting portfolio, said: “Striving to improve TFR has always been a priority, but the latest figures give this new urgency.”

He pointed out that Singapore is not alone in facing declining birthrates. Countries that were once considered models of relatively high birth rates, such as France and the Nordic countries, are also experiencing declining birth rates.

In this region, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are also seeing a decline, and in China, deaths now exceed births.

“The government is fully committed to tackling this issue head-on and will spare no effort to arrest and reverse this decline,” Indrani said.

However, she stressed that this challenge cannot be tackled by governments alone and requires the cooperation of society as a whole.

For more information about study workgroups marriage and parent issuesplease read here.