Singapore marriages fall to lowest since 2020

“not likely to give good news on the TFR front”

for 2025.

At an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) conference, he said that past dragon years had seen a baby blip, which is a temporary increase in birth rates.

But the TFR for 2024, a dragon year,

.

He said: “Many people think our TFR has stabilised. So, I keep telling people ‘no, not quite’.

“The (dragon year) blip has allowed it to stay at 0.97, which means I think it will continue to come down.”

Dr Mathew Mathews, principal research fellow at IPS, pointed out that the number of marriages has fallen in consecutive years since 2022, after the post-pandemic wedding rush when many couples who had postponed their weddings in 2020 tied the knot in 2021 and 2022.

In 2020, 22,651 couples said “I do” – the lowest number since 2005, when 22,992 couples wed.

Professor Jean Yeung from the National University of Singapore’s Department of Paediatrics said the fall in marriages in 2025 can be partly attributed to a decrease in the number of people of “marriageable age”, particularly those aged between 20 and early 30s.

The uncertain economic future, higher cost of living and geopolitical tensions could also have dampened nuptial plans, said Prof Yeung, who is also president of the Singapore Population Association.

The academics also believed that the continued fall in marriages reflects longer-term shifts in the way Singaporeans perceive marriage these days.

People are marrying at a later age as they spend a longer time looking for the right partner or working on their relationship before they marry, Dr Mathews said.

Dr Tan Poh Lin, a senior research fellow at IPS, noted the importance Singaporeans place on establishing their careers and financial security before they marry and have children.

As a result, the median age at first marriage has risen considerably for both men and women over the past two decades.

For men, it rose from 29.4 years in 2004 to 31.1 years in 2024, based on the latest available statistics.

For women, the increase in median age was almost three full years, from 26.7 years in 2004 to 29.6 years in 2024.

Dr Tan said there is also a “growing minority” who prefer to remain single, as they see marriage as unnecessary or at odds with what they want in life.

“Even among those who still want to get married, a growing proportion may place less priority on dating and marriage relative to other life goals, viewing later marriage as the norm.

‘‘Or (they) find the process of dating to marry more difficult to navigate for various reasons, including fewer marriage-minded people in similar age ranges,” she added.

With more people marrying later – or not at all – the TFR is likely to fall as a woman’s fertility declines with age, the experts said.

Prof Yeung added: “In Singapore, as in many Asian countries, marriage rate is the main predictor of the number of children because births outside of marriage are not socially or legally acceptable. So, it can be expected that if the number of marriages declines, the number of births will likely decline too.” 

Mr Kelvin Ngian, a 41-year-old business owner, tied the knot with Ms Charmaine Cheong, a 32-year-old marketing manager, in November 2025.

The couple met through friends and dated for about five years before saying “I do”. 

“We felt we were ready to spend the rest of our lives together. It just felt right,” Mr Ngian said.

“Most of my peers are all married with kids, so I am late to the game.”

The couple hope to have two children, as it can be a “little lonely” to be an only child, Mr Ngian said.