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Society

Singapore and South Korea fertility rates fall to record lows

Heavy government spending to encourage more births fails to reverse trend

A baby in Seoul. South Korean policymakers have for years been seeking measures to spur more births. (File photo by Reuters)

SINGAPORE/SEOUL -- Fertility rates in Singapore and South Korea fell to record lows in 2023, as governments try but fail to encourage couples to have more children.

The average number of births per woman in Singapore during her reproductive years dropped below 1.0 for the first time to 0.97 in 2023, the government announced on Wednesday. That figure was 1.04 in 2022.

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