A policy that changed direction
In 1966 a woman in Singapore could expect to have about 4.46 children over her lifetime. By 2025 the figure was 0.87. Between those two numbers sits one of the clearest examples of a government trying to steer its own population, first towards fewer births and then, once births had fallen too far, back towards more.
Singapore matters to geographers because it shows both the power and the limits of population policy. The state used laws, money, housing and schools to change how families behaved, and births fell quickly. Pushing them back up proved far harder, and the country still lives with the consequences.
The average number of children a woman would have during her reproductive years. A TFR of about 2.1 is the replacement level, at which each generation just replaces itself.
The number of births in a year for every 1,000 people in the population.
A policy that aims to reduce the number of births.
A policy that aims to raise the number of births.
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