Singapore PM urges citizens to have more babies in dragon year
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Singapore PM urges citizens to have more babies in dragon year

People take photos of dragon sculptures, part of festive decorations welcoming Lunar New Year 2024, Year of the Dragon, at a shopping mall in Singapore on Wednesday. (Photo: Reuters)
People take photos of dragon sculptures, part of festive decorations welcoming Lunar New Year 2024, Year of the Dragon, at a shopping mall in Singapore on Wednesday. (Photo: Reuters)

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged young couples to have more babies as the city state battles with a declining birth rate.

"Now is as good a time as any for young couples to add a 'little dragon' to your family," the premier said in his annual Lunar New Year message. The lunar year of the dragon starts Feb 10.

The dragon is a "symbol of power, strength and good fortune," Lee said, while acknowledging that having a baby is a personal decision.

Singapore eased egg freezing rules and doubled government-paid paternity leave to four weeks after its birth rate dropped to a record low of 1.05 babies per woman in 2022. Countries including South Korea, China and Japan have also been battling falling fertility rates and an aging population.

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