Singapore’s Lawrence Wong unveils major pro-family measures amid record low fertility

AdvertisementSingaporeThis Week in AsiaEconomicsSingapore’s Lawrence Wong unveils major pro-family measures amid record low fertilityThe government will fully bear the bill for increasing childcare leave for Singaporean parents, instead of co-sharing it with employers 3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenJean IauPublished: 9:16pm, 23 Aug 2026Singapore will increase its spending on pro-family measures focusing on easing childcare costs, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong calling them “one of the best investments” on Sunday, as the city state aims to reverse its declining fertility rate.The policy shifts announced by Wong at the annual National Day Rally, Singapore’s biggest political speech of the year, are some of the most significant in years, revolving around boosting support for families to have children. He also spoke about exploring a new offshore power generation infrastructure. The pro-family measures include increasing childcare leave depending on how many children a family has, with the government fully footing the bill, as opposed to sharing it with employers, topping up funds into children’s post-secondary education accounts and reducing full-day childcare fees in government-supported schools. “With these changes, the government will absorb a much larger share of childcare and preschool costs. But I believe this is one of the best investments we can make,” said Wong, without mentioning an estimated figure of increased government spending. Singapore’s total fertility rate dropped to a historic low of 0.87 in 2025. The government has set up an inter-agency workgroup, chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, to address the trend. Among the policy shifts, childcare leave will now be linked to the number of children a parent has. AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x