Singapore to admit 30,000 new citizens annually to offset falling birth rates
Slowly, but surely, countries are starting to admit what they have known for a long time: that immigration has and will be used in the future to attempt to avoid the demographic catastrophe wrought by the collapse of birth rates. In this endeavor, however, only the wealthy countries will succeed, resulting in dystopia elsewhere.
By: The Strait Times/Asia Network, February 28,2026 – 08:09 AM
SINGAPORE – Singapore plans to take in between 25,000 and 30,000 new citizens every year over the next five years, as the government moves to offset falling birth rates and a rapidly aging population.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, speaking on Feb. 26 during the debate on the Prime Minister’s Office budget, said the citizen population could start shrinking by the early 2040s without intervention, as Singapore’s total fertility rate (TFR) fell to a record low of 0.87 in 2025.
“Over time, it will be practically impossible to reverse the trend, because we will have fewer and fewer women who can bear children,” DPM Gan said, noting that the TFR decline translates to just 44 children and 19 grandchildren for every 100 residents today.
He stressed the need for a “carefully managed immigration flow to augment our low birth rate,” while maintaining a stable citizen core and ensuring that new arrivals do not overwhelm public infrastructure such as housing and transport. Read more…
