Why Asia cannot undo decades of falling fertility ratesSingapore’s financial incentives to boost its birthrate are not bad policy, but fail to account for a shift in social values, experts sayBy Daniel Moss / Bloomberg OpinionSingapore has been put on notice. Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and China all have rates of fertility well below 2.1, the level at which demographers say a society reproduces itself. Unlike Japan, South Korea and China, Singapore strives to attract the workers it needs — especially in industries it considers strategic such as technology, engineering and finance. It is one thing to galvanize residents around the need to lift fertility, but dire predictions are not the solution. Singapore is right that fertility news is not likely to be encouraging, but it did not suddenly arrive at this moment.

Source: Taipei Times February 08, 2026 17:22 UTC