The number of babies born in Singapore in 2023 has fallen to a 20-year low.

A total of 33,541 babies were born in 2023, a 5,8% drop from the 35.605 babies born in 2022, Singapore-based The Straits Times reported today, citing a report on the 2023 Census of Births and Deaths released from the Immigration Authority and Checkpoint.

The 2023 number is 13.3% lower than the 38,672 babies born in 2021.

In February, it was announced that the total resident fertility rate (TFR) fell below 1 for the first time in Singapore's history, although the actual number of babies born in 2023 was not stated.

The TFR, which refers to the average number of babies a woman will have during her reproductive years, was 0.97 in 2023, making Singapore one of the lowest in the world.

While the number of births has fallen, the number of deaths has risen steadily over the past decade.

A total of 26.888 people died in 2023, just 0,01% less than the 26,891 deaths in 2022. The 2023 figure was 10,7% higher than the 24,292 deaths recorded in 2021. /AA