'If it comes, it comes: Singles in no rush to marry or have kids

Ms Clara Chua used to think she would be married with children by her 40s.

- Shermaine Ang

But single at 31 after her twoyear relationship ended in 2023 - she and her former boyfriend had different outlooks on life, she says she has no plans to date.

Her hands are full as a life coach and as food influencer Explodingbelly on TikTok, where she has more than 35,000 followers.

"I realised getting married and having kids is not the end point or something that must happen in order for me to be happy or fulfilled," said Ms Chua.

A Department of Statistics (DOS) analysis published in May said a decline in the proportion of married females among those in their 20s and 30s contributed to Singapore's falling total fertility rate (TFR).

At a historic low of 0.97 in 2023, Singapore's resident TFR the estimated average number of babies a woman would have over her reproductive years, based on current birth trends is among the lowest globally.

The DOS analysis was criticised for appearing to attribute the falling TFR to single women.

Single men and women interviewed by The Sunday Times said they do not see getting married as a mandatory life goal, or have trouble finding the right person.

In October 2023, Ms Chua left her six-figure recruitment job after 7 years to take up her dream job as a life coach, which now takes priority over settling down.

She has lived on her own for three years in a condo apartment she owns, and enjoys the freedom of living solo.