Singapore (CNN) -- As Singaporeans usher in the Year of the Rabbit, Singapore's prime minister hopes citizens will follow the fertile animal's example and reproduce.
In his annual Chinese New Year message Wednesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that Singapore's fertility rate fell to an all-time low of 1.16 percent in 2010 and urged couples to have more babies. Despite financial incentives offered by the government, Singapore citizens face a population shortfall, a problem that is "extremely challenging," Lee said.
Amid rising costs for the average Singaporean, many couples have chosen to have fewer children or none at all.
Singapore's society has undergone dramatic shifts in the past few years, including rising immigration. Although some Singaporeans may "feel a sense of dislocation and unfamiliarity," Singapore needed immigrants "to reinforce our ranks," Lee said. Still, he added, "we must maintain a clear majority of local-born Singaporeans who set the tone of our society and uphold our core values and ethos". CNN
