Fewer babies despite more Singaporeans and PRs

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Source: AsiaOne  Sun, Jun 12, 2011

37,967 babies were born in 2010, according to figures from the Department of Statistics.

This is the lowest number of births since 2005. Singapore's total fertility rate (TFR), which measures the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime, also sank to a low of 1.16. (Askmelah's Note: It is the Tiger year effect, Stupid! You will see a surge again in 2012.)

This is despite the surge of immigrants of child-bearing age over the past ten years, reported The Straits Times today.

Singapore's racial balance is also gradually changing, noted demographers in The Straits Times report.

More Indian and 'Other' babies were born, and their proportion has been increasing every year since 2005.

Indian babies made up 11.3 per cent of births - an increase from 9.8 per cent five years ago. Indians also made up a higher percentage of the population (9.2 per cent), as compared to a decade ago (7.9 per cent), reported The Straits Times.

In contrast, Chinese and Malay births show a downward trend. Chinese babies made up 61.4 per cent of the babies born in Singapore last year, down from 64.8 per cent the year before. Malay babies made up 15 per cent of births in 2010, down from 17.4 per cent in 2006.