With effect from Saturday, a Singaporean woman married to a foreigner can now pass on citizenship to a child born overseas, a right previously granted only to male Singaporeans, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said.

Rules were also relaxed on permanent residents seeking citizenship.

Previously, they were allowed to be away from Singapore for up to six months when calculating the period of residence. This will now be increased to 12 months, enabling them to travel more freely before gaining citizenship.

The transmission of citizenship by descent will no longer be limited to one generation, following amendments to constitutional provisions which had been unchanged since the 1960s.

In a statement, the immigration authority said "the world today is very different" from what it was in the 1960s, when Singapore was a young republic.

"Growing numbers of Singaporean men and women are travelling overseas to work, study or pursue their personal goals, and starting their families abroad," the statement said.

The changes were also designed to make the laws more "gender neutral".

Singapore has 3.4 million citizens and permanent residents, and about one million foreign workers and their families.

Boosting Singapore's population is now a top priority after the fertility rate fell to a record low of 1.26 children per woman in 2003 despite a incentive scheme to ease the financial burden on parents.

A fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is generally regarded as the minimum needed to naturally replenish the population.

An MP from the ruling People's Action Party has called on the government to discourage abortions among married women to help boost the population.

More incentives to encourage Singaporeans to have more babies are expected to be unveiled in the coming months.

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