Why Singapore’s low fertility rate last year could really redefine real estate from 2050.

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with newsmakers.

Singapore is producing fewer babies. Its birth rate, measured by the total fertility rate (TFR), plunged to a record low of 0.87 in 2025, continuing the downtrend of 0.97 in 2023.

The citizen population may start to shrink by the early 2040s. In February 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong stressed the need to therefore have a “carefully managed immigration flow to augment our low birth rate”.

As the population shrinks, who would be the buyers in the property market in the future? To delve deeper into this, Lynda Hong hosts Mr Alan Cheong, executive director of consultancy at Savills Singapore.

They also discuss how fewer buyers in the future would push the property market to be rental-based, rather than ownership-driven. They chat too, about the future of the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (Vers) and how rapid changing technology could change immigration policy.

Highlights (click/tap above):

7:54 How shrinking family sizes have concentrated wealth for young buyers

15:38 The AI threat also applies to immigrant skills

20:09 How Vers could be implemented

24:10 Why Singapore may be leaning towards Generation Rent in the future

25:28 Why youth of the future may not have the same desire to own property later on

27:25 The looming divide between appreciating freeholds and plunging ageing leaseholds

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Follow Lynda Hong on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/Gm2v

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

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Navigating Singapore’s evolving health insurance landscape.

Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

The rules for Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders changed on Apr 1, 2026. New mandates from the Ministry of Health mean that riders that offer nearly full coverage can no longer be sold. They have been replaced by plans that require higher out-of-pocket costs in exchange for lower premiums. These new riders promote greater accountability in controlling escalating healthcare expenses.

If you have an existing IP rider, you might wonder if you should "grandfather" your current plan, switch to a new one to save on premiums, or perhaps do without one?

If you are just starting your healthcare journey, you need to understand why MOH is removing deductible coverage and doubling the co-payment cap from $3,000 to $6,000.

In this episode, host Joyce Teo engages with a private sector surgeon and a health economist to discuss the new landscape of health insurance, how to think about your future healthcare needs, and the crucial role of personal responsibility.

The guests are Dr. Tan Yia Swam, a breast surgeon and former president of the Singapore Medical Association, and Dr. Akshar Saxena, an Assistant Professor of Economics at Nanyang Technological University.

In the podcast, Dr Tan also addresses a common misconception that private sector doctors frequently overcharge.

Highlights (click/tap above):

8:05 Knowing the difference between an elective surgery and an emergency one.

10:40 Addressing the public perception that some doctors overcharge patients…

15:20 On the importance of personal responsibility…

23:07 Dr Akshar on the impact of the Apr 1 changes on legacy riders

24:18 Dr Tan’s perspective on preparing for her future medical needs.

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

Host: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong

Follow Health Check Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN

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SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

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The Iran war is an unprecedented crisis but South-east Asia is better placed to handle it.

Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.

The US-Israeli assault on Iran, which led to the effective closure of the Straits of Hormuz, has seized up many Asian economies which are seeing rising fuel prices, soaring airline ticket costs and leaving restaurants short of cooking fuel.

But South-east Asia, with memories of the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s still fresh in memory is better placed macro-economically to tackle the crisis - evidenced in investors’ confidence in stocks such as DBS, SIA and OCBC.

In this wide-ranging episode, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Thilan Wickramasinghe, head of research at Maybank Securities and an expert on the interplay of geopolitics, macro-economics and the stock market. They unpack the full dimensions of the crisis before discussing how Asia is likely to fare when it ends, as it must some day.

Mr Wickramasinghe offers some advice: It has paid off for investors to be long on stocks, he says, and there is a case to keep some gold in your portfolio, as well as energy stocks.

Highlights (click/tap above)

1:38 A Michelle Yeoh, Di Caprio-style crisis

8:16 South-east Asia is better placed than other regions

14:09 DBS, SIA - why some stocks do better than the rest

15:33 Opportunities for investors in this crisis

17:59 Post-War realities to watch for

21:10 Equities will never go out of fashion

Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP

Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor

Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz

Host: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

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