At independence Singapore's population was growing at a rate that seriously threatened the success of the new country. In 1969 - Singapore introduced the 'Stop at 2' campaign in an attempt to reduce the rapid population growth. The campaign had a very successful response, in fact too successful as the population had begun to decrease.

The benefits of having a small family became apparent to many Singaporeans, which included higher quality of life, more disposable income, condominiums, cars, that the birth rate remained low. Changes in the role of women has also had an impact on the population structure as there has been a growing tendency for women to follow careers and delay child birth in their quest for independence. The improvements in society, such as medical care, immunization programmes, clean environment and high standards of hygiene (street food stalls have now been banned and all hawker stalls are...