Singapore has launched FirstDate, a government-run matchmaking service for civil servants aged 21 to 35, using a Nobel Prize-winning algorithm to match participants on individual dates. The initiative addresses Singapore's demographic crisis, as the country recorded fewer than 30,000 births in 2025—a 60-year low—prompting the government to take increasingly direct steps to encourage family formation.

The service uses the Gale-Shapley Stable Marriage algorithm, which pairs people based on their preferences and has previously been applied to school admissions and medical residency matching. Participants register via Singapore's national digital identity system and complete surveys about their interests and values. The pilot programme has drawn mixed reactions from Singaporeans; whilst some welcomed the reduced risk of scams amongst vetted public servants, others criticised it as discriminatory (excluding non-government workers) and questioned the age limit of 35. This marks Singapore's latest effort to address its fertility crisis—the government previously ran the Social Development Unit from 1984 onwards and now offers up to S$70,000 in financial support per child by age 17.