Declining fertility is a global challenge; Singapore will strengthen family-friendly policies: PM Wong

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has described declining fertility as a global challenge with no ready solution, saying Singapore will continue supporting families while remaining open to immigration and embracing technology to sustain long-term economic and social stability.

Speaking on 8 June 2026 during the Singapore Press Club's Eminent Speaker Series at the SPH Media news centre auditorium in Toa Payoh, Wong said falling birth rates were no longer confined to wealthy economies and had become a widespread phenomenon affecting countries across different stages of development.

"It's a global challenge. It's happening everywhere in the world. No one has the answers for now," said Wong.

He noted that declining fertility was once widely associated with affluent societies that had reached a certain level of economic development. However, that assumption no longer reflected current realities.

Global trend affecting developed and developing countries

Wong said many developing countries are also experiencing fertility rates below replacement levels, highlighting how demographic pressures have become a worldwide concern.

"But nowadays you look around the world, even developing countries are having declining birth rates below replacement levels," he said.

According to Wong, governments around the world have invested significant resources in attempts to reverse declining birth rates and encourage marriage and parenthood.

While some countries have achieved temporary improvements, those gains have generally not been sustained over time.

"Countries have put in a lot of resources to try and stop the decline and to encourage marriage and parenthood, but there has been no enduring success," he said.

Singapore's own demographic challenge remains acute. The Republic's total fertility rate fell to a new record low of 0.87 in 2025, underscoring concerns over population ageing and workforce sustainability in the years ahead.

Focus on creating a family-friendly environment

Despite the difficulties, Wong stressed that the Government has not abandoned efforts to address the issue.

He pointed to the work of a new Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup led by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, which is reviewing how Singapore can become more supportive of family life.

Rather than focusing primarily on financial incentives to encourage childbirth, Wong said policymakers are looking at broader structural issues affecting families.

The objective is to think about the issue "less as a procreation incentive, less of a baby bonus" and instead identify ways to create a more family-friendly environment.

This includes addressing concerns commonly raised by young couples and parents, such as education, childcare and housing.

Wong said the Government believes these efforts are worthwhile regardless of whether they result in a significant increase in birth rates.

"At the end of the day after doing that, I may not get more babies, but it's still worth doing," he said.

"That's our approach: Try to make things better for families in Singapore. Because families are a key pillar of our society, and we want Singapore to be a place that's friendly and conducive for families to thrive and flourish."

Population planning and growth prospects

The issue of Singapore's demographic future was also raised during a question-and-answer session.

A participant asked whether the Government intended to update the Population White Paper and establish a new long-term population planning parameter, potentially setting a target population of 10 million.

Responding to the question, Wong dismissed the notion that Singapore was aiming for such a figure.

"How do we get to 10 million when the TFR is so low?" he said.

The questioner also asked whether Singapore might instead move towards a more stable population as it approaches the previously discussed planning figure of 6.9 million people.

Wong said the Government was not focused on announcing a new population target.

"It's not so much about articulating a new figure or what that figure might be, because even for the old figure, we are a long way from getting there," he said.

"The old figure was 6.9 million. We are far away from getting there. So there is no new figure to be updated, because our population will just grow at a much slower rate than before, and we are just trying to maintain stability and to avoid population decline."

Immigration remains necessary

Wong said demographic realities mean Singapore must continue to remain open to foreigners who come to the country to work.

At the same time, he stressed that immigration would continue to be carefully managed.

"We should then have some of them who share our values and way of life to become Singaporeans, just as many of us, all of us in fact, trace our roots not just here, but trace our roots to countries further afield," he said.

While Singapore remains an open society and an immigrant nation, Wong said authorities would continue to regulate inflows.

"Certainly we will control the flows," he said.

He reiterated that immigration policy is not intended to drive population growth to excessively high levels.

"The aim is not to raise the population to a very high figure at all," Wong said, adding that the focus remains on maintaining stability.

Technology and AI as productivity drivers

Wong linked Singapore's demographic challenges directly to the growing importance of technology and artificial intelligence.

He said limitations on labour supply mean the country must increasingly rely on productivity gains to sustain growth and competitiveness.

"If we are not going to be able to have that many new immigrants, new arrivals, that access to people, then all the more we need to harness technology well in order to do the things we want to do, and to become more productive," he said.

Earlier in the discussion, Wong was asked whether small states such as Singapore would benefit or suffer in the age of artificial intelligence.

He described AI as a potential "game changer" for the economy.

"Overall we see this as positive, because we can harness AI well to really transform processes and operations to become far more productive, and in a city like Singapore, where we are always labour short," he said.

"We talk to companies and employers, they are always looking for people, and we cannot afford to just keep importing labour. We need to be more productive. I think AI can be a game changer."

Cabinet renewal and online falsehoods

Wong also addressed questions on political leadership and the evolving information environment.

Asked whether a Cabinet reshuffle was under consideration, he said strengthening the Government team is a continual process.

He said he regularly considers whether ministers could be deployed differently, whether backbench Members of Parliament could be brought into political office and how to recruit future political leaders.

"It's always on my mind, and when I have any updates, I'll be sure to share them with Singaporeans in due course," he said.

On the recent blocking of social media content targeting Singapore's Indian community, Wong expressed concern over the growing threat posed by online misinformation and AI-generated falsehoods.

"AI and technology are also enabling the creation of more disinformation and falsehoods, some of it very egregious and crosses the line," he said.

He warned that the challenge extends beyond Singapore and is affecting societies around the world.

"Unfortunately, it's not just Singapore alone. Every country is facing this problem, and we see in so many places where, when it's harder and harder to differentiate between fact and fiction or even to agree on a basic set of facts, then it's impossible to hold a society together," he said.

Wong said the Government would continue strengthening safeguards against misinformation and called on media organisations to contribute to a trusted information ecosystem.

"We want media outlets to operate here in Singapore in a way that's trusted and responsible, where you inform citizens, you build trust, you create space for serious conversations and discourse on issues that matter to Singapore, and you ultimately help us contribute to Singapore's long-term success," he said.