The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has released its Family Trends Report 2026. The Report provides annual updates on key statistical family trends in Singapore.
Fewer Marriages but Marriage Stability Has Improved
2 There were 6.2% fewer marriages in 2025, compared to 2024. However, more recent marriage cohorts have shown greater stability over time. The cumulative proportion of resident marriages that dissolved before the 10th anniversary declined from 17.0% for the 2005 marriage cohort to 13.5% for the 2014 marriage cohort. Data showed that marriages are most vulnerable between the 5th and before the 10th anniversary, pointing to the importance of providing timely support during the early years of marriage to help them build a strong foundation for the future.
3 Married Singaporeans report strong and fulfilling relationships. 94.9% of married respondents reported being happy with their marriage, 92.8% felt that their relationship was going well, 78.3% would frequently confide in their spouse and 88.3% rarely or never considered ending their marriage. Married respondents who reported higher marital quality also tended to report higher family resilience, highlighting the role that strong marriages play in building resilient families.
More Fathers Taking an Active Role in Caregiving
4 More fathers are involved in caring for their children. The take-up rates of Government-Paid Paternity Leave increased from 47% for children born in 2016 to 61% for children born in 2024. Father’s take-up of childcare leave has also grown steadily over the same period, from 49% in 2016 to 54% in 2024. Take-up of Government-Paid Maternity Leave remained consistently high, ranging from 74% to 79%.
5 To further support working parents in sharing the parenthood journey, the Government enhanced shared parental leave provisions from six weeks to 10 weeks, from 1 April 2026. MSF encourages both mothers and fathers to make full use of their parental leave provisions to bond with their children and embrace parenthood together.
Families Continue to Demonstrate Strong Bonds and Resilience
6 The majority of our families continue to demonstrate strong bonds and resilience. 90.7% of families reported moderate to high family resilience scores, an improvement from 85.9% in 2023. The proportion of respondents who reported having a close-knit family also rose to 89.6%, up from 86.0% in 2023. Singaporeans also continue to maintain close ties with their extended family, with 69.0% of Singaporeans reported doing so in 2025 compared to 67.5% in 2023. Respondents who reported having close-knit families also reported higher family resilience.
7 Families remain deeply committed to caring for their family members. 95.2% of respondents aged 15 to 64 agreed that it is their responsibility to care for their parents, up from 93.1% in 2023. Families also continue to be the key support of caregiving needs. The majority of respondents reported that they would provide financial, emotional and physical support to family members if needed. Those who were willing to provide support to their family members tended to report higher family resilience. 92.2% of caregivers also reported that they were able to manage their caregiving responsibilities.
Families Can Access More Affordable and Quality Preschools
8 For families with young children, we continue to expand capacity and make affordable and quality preschools more accessible to give every child a good start in life. Over the past ten years, the number of full-day infant care places has nearly tripled, while the number of full-day childcare places nearly doubled.
9 More children are enrolled in preschools today, with the cohort enrolment rate (CER) of children aged three to four years increased from 73% in 2015 to 91% in 2025 while the CER of children aged five to six years also rose from 86% in 2015 to 93% in 2025.
10 The Government has also kept preschools affordable through subsidies for Singapore Citizen children. Full-day childcare fee caps at Anchor Operators and Partner Operators preschools were further lowered in 2025. For Singapore Citizen children, the industry median infant care fee decreased from $1,275 in 2021 to $1,235 in 2025, and the industry median childcare fee decreased from $760 in 2021 to $680 in 2025.
Commitment to Support Families across life stages
11 Strong and stable families are the foundation of our society. The findings from the Family Trends Report 2026 underscore the importance of the commitment to support for families across different life stages – from marriage and parenthood to caregiving in later life.
12 The Government remains committed to support Singaporeans realise their marriage and parenthood aspirations. This is alongside our commitment to strengthen our ecosystem of support, and ensuring that Singapore remains a great place to raise families, live life to the fullest and age gracefully.
13 The Family Trends Report 2026 can be found on the MSF website at: https://go.gov.sg/msf-familytrendsreport26.