More Singapore residents under 40 are staying single, with the sharpest increase among those aged 25 to 34.
More findings from the General Household Survey: https://cna.asia/4xWInFA
The newly released **2025 General Household Survey** by the Singapore Department of Statistics shows significant shifts in the country's demographic landscape over a five-year period.
The survey reveals a notable increase in singlehood among residents under 40, alongside shrinking family sizes, a rise in English spoken at home, and a growing percentage of residents with no religious affiliation.
### 1. More Young Residents Staying Single
The data indicates that a higher proportion of Singapore residents under the age of 40 have never married, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in the 25-to-34 age bracket:
* **Women (Aged 25 to 29):** This group saw the sharpest increase in singlehood among females, with those who have never married rising from **69% in 2020 to 73.4% in 2025**.
* **Men (Aged 30 to 34):** This group marked the largest jump among males, with the proportion of single men climbing from **41.9% to 47.6%**.
* **Education Trends:** Among men in their 40s, singlehood remains more prevalent among those with lower educational qualifications. Conversely, highly educated women in their 30s and 40s are more likely to be single.
### 2. Family Sizes and Birth Rates Shrinking
Fewer young couples are marrying, and those who do are having fewer children.
* The average number of children born to ever-married women aged 40 to 49 dropped from **1.76 in 2020 to 1.67 in 2025**.
* The proportion of women with two or more children fell from **62.5% to 58.4%**.
* Higher-educated women tend to have fewer children on average; university graduates aged 40 to 49 averaged **1.59 children**, compared to **1.84** for women with a secondary qualification or below.
* While married couples with children remain the most common household arrangement, they now make up **47.6%** of resident households, down from 50.4% in 2020.
### 3. English as the Primary Home Language
English has firmly solidified its position as the language spoken most frequently at home, particularly among younger generations:
* **58.1% of residents** aged five and above speak English most often at home, up from 48.3% in 2020.
* Bilingualism remains prominent: **80.5%** of those who primarily speak English at home also use a vernacular language (like Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil) as their second most frequent language.
* Meanwhile, the use of Chinese dialects as a primary home language almost halved, dropping from **8.7% to 4.9%**, and Mandarin use also dipped slightly from 29.9% to 26.6%.
### 4. Rise in Non-Religious Affiliation
A growing portion of the population identifies as having no religion:
* The percentage of residents aged 15 and above with no religious affiliation rose from **20% in 2020 to 23.9% in 2025**.
* This trend is most visible among Chinese residents, where the non-religious population grew from **25.7% to 30.3%**.
* Younger, highly educated residents are the most likely to have no religion—**26.8% of those aged 15 to 24** claim no religious affiliation, compared to 19.4% of those aged 55 and older.
### 5. Socioeconomic Improvements
Despite the shifting social dynamics, the survey recorded general growth in household wealth, education levels, and asset ownership:
* **Income:** The median monthly household market income rose substantially from **S9,099 to S12,446** (representing a 3.2% annual growth in real terms after adjusting for inflation).
* **Education:** The share of residents aged 25 and over with post-secondary or higher qualifications increased to **64.8%** (up from 58.3%).
* **Home Ownership:** The rate of home ownership among resid
ent households grew to **91.2%**, up from 87.9% in 2020.