Singapore offers nearly Dh200,000 per child in bid to lift birth rate

Dubai: Singapore will provide families with nearly S$70,000, about US$55,000 or almost Dh200,000, in direct financial support for each citizen child from birth to age 17, under a sweeping package aimed at making it easier for couples to start and raise families.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the measures during his annual National Day Rally on Sunday, saying the government wanted families to know they would receive greater support over a longer period if they chose to have children.

Under the new SG Child Support Package, every Singaporean child will receive up to S$62,000, regardless of birth order.

The package includes a S$10,000 cash Baby Gift, S$32,000 in Child Credits paid at S$2,000 a year from age one to 16, a S$5,000 Child Development Account grant, up to S$5,000 in government co-matching and a S$10,000 top-up to a post-secondary education account at age 17.

Together with existing support, including a S$5,000 MediSave grant for newborns and roughly S$2,500 in Edusave contributions during primary and secondary school, total direct government support will reach around S$70,000 for each eligible child.

Singapore is also expanding childcare leave. Working parents with children aged 12 or below will receive eight, 10 or 12 days of leave a year depending on whether they have one, two, or three or more children.

The government will reimburse employers for the full duration of child-related leave schemes, up to the applicable reimbursement limits.

Families will also receive greater help with childcare and housing. Fees at government-supported childcare and infant-care centres are to be progressively reduced, while first-time families with children will receive an additional ballot chance for each Singaporean child aged 18 or below when applying for subsidised public housing from the February 2027 sales exercise.

The measures come after Singapore’s fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 children per woman in 2025, down from 0.97 in 2024. The level is far below the roughly 2.1 children per woman generally required to maintain a stable population without net immigration.

Wong said the government was prepared to shoulder a larger share of the cost of raising children, describing stronger family support as one of the country’s most important investments.