Is Singapore's current birth rate ok?
Do you agree with what renowned population expert Professor Wolfgang Lutz thinks about our fertility rate, and how a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 might not be ideal?
According to Prof Lutz, the figure does not take into account education levels, migration and mortality rates - all of which are changing. With better education, the younger generation is expected to be more productive. Prof Lutz said: "So once you factor this in, then actually a fertility (rate) of around 1.7 may be best. Because then you have somewhat fewer children, but you can invest more per child and that will more than compensate for the smaller size of the cohort."
Is there a need to rethink and adjust the old-age dependency ratio? The dependency ratio is calculated by taking the number of people aged 65 years and older, divided by the number of working age adults.
With better education, the elderly can also be encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle and reduce the dependency on the working population.