There was also a decline in the dissolution rates before the tenth marriage anniversary among resident marriage cohorts after 2005, said the Department of Statistics.
The cumulative proportion of marriages that dissolved before the tenth anniversary declined from 17.0 per cent for the 2005 marriage cohort to 14.5 per cent for the 2011 marriage cohort.
The proportion of resident marriages that dissolved was the highest from the fifth to before the tenth anniversary compared to other 5-yearly periods.
“From the tenth anniversary, the proportion of marriages that dissolved was smaller with each subsequent 5-yearly milestone,” the department said.
“It is encouraging to see a decline in marital dissolutions for the more recent marriage cohorts,” said Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Home Affairs.
This signified greater marriage stability among recent cohorts of married couples, as compared to previous cohorts, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
MSF added that while the increased marriage stability and decline in dissolved marriages are encouraging, “the government will continue with its efforts and work with the community to support couples in navigating their marriage journey, particularly in the early years”.
In the first two years of marriage, there are marriage preparation, mentoring and support programmes to prepare soon-to-wed and newlyweds for life together, MSF said.
For couples married for more than two years, there are marriage enrichment programmes to equip them with tools to sustain a healthy marriage.
“To support couples in their parenthood journey, community partners like Families for Life provide evidence-based parenting programmes to equip parents with the techniques to understand their children and parent more confidently,” MSF said.
“With the support of our partners, social service agencies and community groups, MSF will continue to help strengthen marriages through various programmes and initiatives and encourage our community to step forward as volunteers,” said Ms Sun.
“I also hope more Singaporeans would embark on marriage and parenthood journeys and experience the joy that comes along,” she added.