SINGAPORE - The number of babies born in 2023 in Singapore fell to the lowest in at least the past 50 years, The Straits Times (ST) reported.
It said based on the "Report on Registration of Births and Deaths 2023” published on July 11, a total of 33,541 babies were born in 2023 - a 5.8 per cent fall from the 35,605 births recorded in 2022 and 13.3 per cent lower than the 38,672 births in 2021.
ST said the 2023 figure is the lowest since at least 1971 where 47,088 babies were born, based on the births and deaths statistics posted on the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) website.
The ICA administers the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 2021 (RBDA 2021).
In February, it was announced that the resident total fertility rate (TFR) fell to below one for the first time in Singapore’s history, though the actual number of babies born in 2023 was not stated.
The TFR, which refers to the average number of babies each woman will have during her reproductive years, was 0.97 in 2023 - which is one of the lowest in the world.
An analysis of resident birth order data reveals a clear trend of first-time mothers progressively delaying childbirth to the later stages of their lives.
The median age of first-time mothers rose from 30.8 years in 2019 to 31.6 years in 2023.
Also according to the 2023 report, the number of live births among teenagers, aged 19 and below, was 228, showing a 4.6 per cent increase compared to the 218 births recorded in 2022.
Meanwhile, in 2023, the total number of registered deaths was 26,888, a decrease of three cases from the 26,891 deaths registered in 2022.
Some 4.9 per cent of deaths registered in 2023 were non-residents, including work pass holders, dependants pass, student pass, tourists and short-term visitors. Most of them were Malaysians (424 deaths) and Indonesians (196 deaths).
The leading causes of death in the republic for last year were heart and hypertensive diseases, and lung and respiratory diseases, collectively accounting for 50.8 per cent of all registered deaths.
Additionally, malignant neoplasm and cerebrovascular diseases were prominent factors, responsible for 24.6 per cent and 5.6 per cent of death cases, respectively.
"Unnatural causes such as accidents, suicides and other external causes, constituted 2.3 per cent of the total cases,” the report said. - BERNAMA