SINGAPORE, Oct 23 — Younger Singaporeans in their 40s are more educated and better able to find jobs, they are earning and saving more, and they are on track to longer healthier lives than citizens between the ages of 50 and 79, a new report has found.

The report, released yesterday by the Ministry of Finance (MOF), tracks how socio-economic outcomes have shifted across generations. The study tapped data from the Department of Statistics, and the Health and Manpower ministries.

The report, titled Key Socio-economic Outcomes Across Cohorts, studied a repertoire of socio-economic indicators: Educational attainment; employment and savings; residential-property ownership; health; and family support.

Younger Singaporeans fared better than those in the preceding generations across the majority of these indicators.

Even so, lower marriage rates and smaller families were recorded among the younger groups compared with older Singaporeans.

The share of women who have been married, or are presently married, widowed, separated or divorced, tumbled from 92 per cent among the 70-somethings to 82 per cent among those in their 40s last year.

The average number of children for every such woman also fell from 2.5 to 1.8 last year across the same age groups.

This could mean less support from the immediate family, MOF said.

The ministry added that the Government would continue to work with community partners to support those who may need extra help, and do more to help Singaporeans learn new skills, and earn and save more.

How the study was done

The study was divided into four age groups: