The Business Times
business-time-50
THINKING ALOUD
·
SUBSCRIBERS

Children are national assets. Our support must reflect that

A case for treating children as Singapore’s long-term equity

Summarise
google-preferred-sourceAdd BT as a preferred source
阅读简体中文版 (beta)
    • If children generate positive externalities – fiscal, social and strategic – then public co-investment should mirror that reality across the life cycle.
    • If children generate positive externalities – fiscal, social and strategic – then public co-investment should mirror that reality across the life cycle. PHOTO: BT FILE

    DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.

    Jeffery Tan

    Published Thu, Mar 5, 2026 · 07:00 AM

    SINGAPORE is ageing at a pace that should unsettle even our most disciplined planners.

    By 2030, one in four citizens will be over 65. Our total fertility rate has fallen from 0.97 to 0.87 in a single year. We are not merely below replacement. We are in demographic contraction.

    Policy responses have been serious: enhanced baby bonuses, longer parental leave, housing priority, flexible work arrangements. Necessary measures, all. But they remain heavily front-loaded – concentrated around birth and the early years.

    Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.

    Thinking AloudSingaporeDemographicsFertilityMinistry of Social & Family Development

    Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.

    Reuse this contentFeedback

    TRENDING NOW

    Malaysia Madani, or Civil Malaysia, is Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's slogan encapsulating positive values (such as humanity and strong governance) that would shape policy direction. But the "corporate mafia" claims have now cast the spotlight on governance credibility.

    From 1MDB to ‘corporate mafia’: Is Malaysia facing a new governance test?

    The fourth Amity Circle retreat was hosted by Temasek Foundation from Apr 8 to 10 in Hanoi.

    Middle East-linked energy supply shocks put Asean Power Grid back in focus

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stopped short of explicitly naming the US or Israel as aggressors, a telling omission from a country that otherwise speaks with little diplomatic timidity.

    Beijing’s calculated silence on the Iran war 

    DPM Gan Kim Yong said the question is not whether shocks will occur in future, but whether Singapore's systems are able to absorb them, and continue to function.

    DPM Gan warns of 3 structural shifts to the global system that will bring greater challenges – and opportunities

    Latest T-bills Treasury Bills Results & Interest NewsLatest SSB Singapore Savings Bonds NewsLatest COE Certificate of Entitlement News
    Latest Johor-Singapore SEZ NewsLatest BTO Build To Order & Sales of Balance NewsLatest STI Straits Times Index NewsLatest SGX Dividends, Share Price NewsLatest Bonds Market NewsLatest Singapore Stocks To Buy NewsLatest Singapore Economy News
    View More