SINGAPORE, March 1 -- Despite 2024 being the auspicious Year of the Dragon, Singapore's birth rate stayed at its historical low of 0.97.

Citing preliminary data, Singapore's fertility rate, which dipped below 1.0 in 2023, stayed consistent last year, as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah said in Parliament yesterday.

"The Dragon year effect has been diminishing over the years, reflecting the generational shifts in attitudes and priorities among young couples," Indranee was quoted by news portal Channel News Asia (CNA) as saying.

Expecting a rise in births due to the auspicious Year of the Dragon, former Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his Chinese New Year message last year, encouraged couples to have ch...