Stories
Singapore Tests Government-Backed Dating App to Tackle Falling Birth Rates
- •Singapore's Government Technology Agency developed FirstDate, a matchmaking platform currently being tested by single public officers aged 21 to 35.
- •Unlike traditional dating apps with endless swiping, FirstDate provides one curated match at a time using the Gale-Shapley stable matching algorithm.
- •Users sign up through Singpass, Singapore's national digital identity system, ensuring verified identities and eligible participants.
- •The initiative addresses Singapore's declining birth rates, which fell to a record-low 0.87 births per woman in 2025, alongside falling marriage rates and an aging population.
- •Other governments, including Tokyo and South Korea, have also implemented technology and state-backed matchmaking initiatives to combat low fertility.
Key Questions Answered
FirstDate is a matchmaking platform developed by Singapore's Government Technology Agency that gives users one curated match at a time instead of endless swiping. Users complete a detailed questionnaire about their interests and lifestyles, and the platform uses the Gale-Shapley stable matching algorithm to pair them. Participants then have 72 hours to decide whether to connect with their suggested match.
Singapore is testing the platform to address declining birth rates and falling marriage numbers. The country's resident total fertility rate dropped to a record-low 0.87 births per woman in 2025, while marriages decreased by 6.2% to 24,688 in the same year alongside an ageing population and an increase in one-person households.
Participants sign up for FirstDate using Singpass, which is Singapore's national digital identity system. This verification process ensures user identity and eligibility, helping solve the common online dating problem of unverified or false profiles.
