Marriages in Singapore dip by 6.2% in 2025, couples having children later

SINGAPORE: The number of marriages in Singapore fell by 6.2 per cent to 24,688 in 2025 from 26,328 the year before, according to the family trends report released by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Friday (Jul 10).

The last time there were fewer marriages was in the COVID-19 year of 2020, when 22,651 marriages were registered. This is the third straight year that the number of marriages has dipped.

Of the marriages last year, 19,682 were civil marriages, down from 21,144 in 2024.

The number of civil marriages fell across all age groups last year, with a larger decrease in marriages involving grooms and brides aged 25 to 34, relative to other age groups.

Muslim marriages fell to 5,006 last year from 5,184 in 2024. This was also mainly due to the decrease in marriages among grooms and brides aged 25 to 34, relative to other age groups.

Responding to queries from CNA on why this age group saw the biggest drop, an MSF spokesperson said that similar to many advanced societies, Singapore has seen a gradual shift towards later marriage due to changing societal norms and shifting personal priorities.

About 27.3 per cent of citizen marriages last year were between a Singaporean and a non-resident.

Among such marriages, 70.9 per cent were between a Singaporean groom and a non-resident bride.

The report also showed that the median age at first marriage has increased over the past decade.

For grooms, it rose to 31.1 years last year, from 30.3 years in 2015. For brides, it increased to 29.6 years last year, from 28.2 years in 2015.

This is the third year MSF is releasing a family trends report.

Besides marriage trends, the 2025 report also looked at the resilience of families.

“Resilience is the ability to cope with and adapt to challenges and adversity and bounce back from difficult life events,” said MSF.

“A resilient family makes for better individual well-being and stronger communities. It is important that we continue our efforts in nurturing resilient families.”

A 2025 MSF survey on families found that 90.7 per cent of families reported moderate to high family resilience scores, an increase from 85.9 per cent in 2023.

The survey also found that nearly 95 per cent of married respondents were happy with their marriage.

About 92.8 per cent felt their relationship was going well, and about 78.3 per cent said they would frequently confide in their spouse.

The survey also found that 88.3 per cent said they rarely or never considered ending their marriage.

Speaking at the National Family Festival appreciation event at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said the ministry will continue to partner with the community to strengthen family resilience across generations.

"Family begins with each one of us – in the everyday interactions we share with our loved ones, and in our collective commitment to Singapore’s families," he added.

The findings on marital quality are derived from the MSF survey on families, which is a face-to-face survey conducted every two years. The marital quality findings are from the survey conducted in 2025.

The survey sample consists of about 3,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 15 and above. The sample is generally representative of Singapore’s population after weighting by gender, age group, housing type, and race.

Family resilience was measured using the 32-item Walsh Family Resilience Questionnaire. Respondents rated each indicator on a 5-point scale ranging from rarely/never to almost always. A composite score is then derived based on the average score of the 32 items.

DISSOLUTIONS

The report also examined marriage dissolution trends. The dissolution of a marriage is the legal process of ending a marriage, either through divorce or annulment.

Last year, a total of 7,242 marriages ended in a divorce or an annulment, a 1.9 per cent decrease from the 7,382 dissolutions in 2024.

The median age at divorce rose over the last 10 years, from 42.9 years in 2015 to 44.3 years in 2025 for men, and from 38.8 years to 41.2 years for women.

Couples who married from 2006 to 2014 had lower dissolution rates before their 10th anniversary than those in the 2005 marriage cohort.

The cumulative proportion of marriages that dissolved before the 10th anniversary fell from 17 per cent for the 2005 marriage cohort to 13.5 per cent for the 2014 marriage cohort.

“The most significant improvement was seen in the fall in dissolution rates for Muslim marriages,” MSF said.

“While the rate for Muslim marriages remained higher than that of civil marriages across all cohorts, the gap has narrowed significantly for more recent marriage cohorts.”

Among dissolved marriages, the highest proportion occurred between the fifth and 10th anniversaries. After the 10th anniversary, increases in dissolution rates at each subsequent five-year interval were smaller.

For example, 7 per cent of the 2004 resident marriage cohort had dissolved before the fifth anniversary. Another 9.3 per cent of this marriage cohort ended their marriage before the 10th anniversary, bringing the total proportion dissolved by then to 16.3 per cent.

Subsequent increases were smaller, bringing the total proportion of dissolved marriages in the 2004 cohort to 21.5 per cent before the 15th anniversary and 24.7 per cent before the 20th anniversary.

“This suggests that it is crucial to support marriages in the early years to build a strong foundation to withstand future challenges,” MSF said.

Based on dissolution rates before the 10th anniversary, dissolution rates for marriages involving men who married at ages 20 to 24 years are consistently the highest.

PARENTHOOD

The report showed that Singapore residents are also becoming parents later in life.

Last year, the median age of first-time fathers increased to 33.8 years from 32.9 years in 2015.

Similarly, the median age for first-time mothers increased to 32.1 years from 30.5 years in 2015.

Singapore’s total fertility rate remained at a record low of 0.87 in 2025, marking the third consecutive year it has remained below 1.

Having two children remained the most common among ever-married resident women in Singapore.

Among ever-married women aged 40 to 49, those with two children made up the largest group, accounting for 40.5 per cent in 2025. This is a decrease from 42.4 per cent in 2015.

Over the same period, the proportion of women with no children increased to 16.1 per cent from 11.6 per cent.

The proportion of women with one child rose to 25.5 per cent from 22.3 per cent.

The report also showed that 61 per cent of fathers with children born in 2024 took government-paid paternity leave, up from 56 per cent in 2023.

Mr Masagos said he is heartened that fathers are playing an increasingly active role in parenting.

The next tranche of Child LifeSG Credits will be disbursed in July, providing families with additional support, he noted.

“We hope that these measures will give parents – especially those caring for the very youngest – the confidence and resources they need,” Mr Masagos said.

The take-up rate for government-paid maternity leave also remained high, with 77 per cent of mothers taking it, compared to 74 per cent in 2023.

The take-up of childcare leave by fathers increased to 54 per cent in 2024, from 49 per cent in 2016.

Among mothers, the take-up of childcare leave increased to 59 per cent from 56 per cent over the same period.

To better support Singaporeans in their marriage and parenthood journeys, an interagency Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup was set up.

The workgroup will examine key factors that influence marriage and parenthood decisions, including financial costs, work-life support, caregiving, housing, healthcare, preschool and education.

"It will also work with stakeholders to promote societal norms and workplace practices that better support marriage and parenthood aspirations," said the MSF spokesperson.

The workgroup aims to release a full report with consolidated findings in early 2027.

INFANT AND CHILD CARE

Access to early childhood services has continued to improve, with greater accessibility and affordability, according to MSF's report.

The number of full-day infant care places has nearly tripled over the last decade. Full-day infant care places increased to 17,639 in 2025, from 6,262 in 2015.

The ministry added that enrolment numbers rose to 12,225 from 3,813 over the same period.

A S$40 (US$30.90) reduction in full-day infant care fee caps in 2023 brought the industry median fee for Singaporean children down to S$1,235.

For a median-income household with a child in full-day infant care at an anchor operator preschool, out-of-pocket preschool expenses declined to 5.6 per cent of household income in 2025, from 6.8 per cent in 2021.

Childcare services have also expanded.

The number of full-day childcare places increased to 205,234 last year, nearly double the 117,065 in 2015. Enrolment also increased to 155,315 last year, from 91,601 in 2015.

The industry median fee for Singaporean children fell to S$680 in 2025, from S$720 in 2023 and S$760 in 2021.

For a median-income household with a child attending full-day childcare at an anchor operator preschool, out-of-pocket preschool expenses accounted for 3 per cent of household income last year, down from 3.7 per cent in 2021.

With more dual-income families and greater recognition of the importance of early childhood care and education, the enrolment rate of children aged three to four years increased to 91 per cent in 2025, from 73 per cent in 2015.

Similarly, the enrolment rate of children five to six years old also rose to 93 per cent from 86 per cent over the same period.

The number of referrals for children requiring medium to high levels of early intervention support fell to 2,300 in 2025, from a peak of 2,800 in 2022.

The number of children served by early intervention programmes rose to 10,503 in 2025, from 10,186 in 2024.

Of these, 4,221 required low levels of support, while 6,282 required medium to high levels of support.

CAREGIVING

The number of residents aged 65 and above living at home increased to 768,800 last year, from 460,900 in 2015.

Of these, 88,400 lived alone, up from 41,200 in 2015. This includes elderly who live alone, but may have support from family members living elsewhere.

The report found that a majority of respondents said they would provide financial (90 per cent) and emotional support (94 per cent) if their family members needed it. Both figures were higher than in 2023.

However, the proportion of respondents who said they would provide regular physical support to family members fell to 73.8 per cent last year from 81.4 per cent in 2023.

“Even as caregiving demands grow along an ageing population, families continue to step up, with the majority being willing to provide financial, emotional, and physical support for their family members who need it,” Mr Masagos said.

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Based on the 2025 Quality of Life Study by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), caregivers reported a lower overall quality of life than non-caregivers.

They also scored lower across the physical, psychological, social relationships and environment domains.

The same study found that caregivers were less satisfied with their family support compared to non-caregivers. However, the proportion of caregivers and non-caregivers who reported being happy with their family relationships was similar.

“This suggests that while caregivers would like to receive more support, they remain as happy with their family relationships as non-caregivers,” MSF said.

On Friday, MSF signed agreements with Mandai Wildlife Group, McDonald's Singapore, NTUC Women and Family, SBS Transit and Standard Chartered to deepen collaboration and expand support for families.

Source: CNA/cj