Singapore is praised for its walkable streets, well-maintained parks, and accessible public spaces, a city seemingly designed to keep people moving.
Stroll through a neighbourhood park on a weekday morning, and you’ll see groups of seniors practising qigong, brisk walkers clocking their steps, and fitness stations tailored for older adults.
On the surface, it looks like active ageing in action, but the numbers tell a more complex story.
In 2020, nearly 43% of residents aged 60 to 74 reported doing no regular exercise during their leisure time. Even in 2023, after years of public health campaigns and community programmes, only 74.2% of seniors achieved sufficient physical activity.
The importance of these choices is illustrated powerfully in the Make Health Last campaign video.
>A split-screen shows the same elderly man living out two possible futures, with a clear message that the decisions we make today influence the quality of life we enjoy tomorrow.
The Societal Foundations of Inactivity
On a sunny morning in Henderson Hill, the paths around the community garden are busy with activity. Seniors gather on shaded benches, stretching their legs after a morning walk.
Urban planners have designed it to support ageing in place, incorporating therapeutic gardens, wide pavements, and easily accessible services to make it one of Singapore’s most senior-friendly estates.
A 2021 study published in Sustainability examined five such neighbourhoods across Singapore, to understand what makes an area walkable and how that influences seniors’ physical activity.
The researchers found that natural scenery, sheltered walkways, and well-placed community spaces improve both mobility and satisfaction with the neighbourhood. In fact, parks, water bodies, and gardens were consistently linked with higher walking rates.
But the study also revealed an unexpected pattern. When essential services, like clinics and supermarkets, are too close to home, seniors tend to walk less.
In Woodlands East, for example, residents gave high ratings to Kampung Admiralty. Despite their satisfaction with the area, these seniors reported lower daily activity levels than those in neighbourhoods where facilities were more spaced out.
Across all five neighbourhoods, parks, water bodies, and community gardens consistently correlated with higher satisfaction and greater physical activity.
In Marine Parade, walking times were higher than in Yuhua East, which scored lower for natural scenery despite its innovative smart-home infrastructure.
Encouraging Active Routines Through Community Fitness
Singapore’s goal isn’t simply to add years to life, but to add life to years.
To help address this, Sport Singapore (SportSG) has introduced a range of programmes tailored for older adults, including resistance band workouts, adaptive sports, and structured gym-based sessions.
“Walking and calisthenics remain the most popular activities, and most seniors prefer morning sessions, according to the National Sport & Exercise Participation Survey (NSPS),” shared Mr Marcus Tan, Chief of Sport Development Group at SportSG.
He shared that weekly participation in morning group workouts now numbers almost 350, with some Active Ageing Centres (AACs) attracting more than 40 attendees per session.
Bringing Senior Fitness Closer to Home
While the Live Well, Age Well programme has made strides in recent years, some older adults still perceive fitness as an expensive pursuit.
>The initiative, jointly run by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the People’s Association, is designed to make healthy ageing more accessible.
Classes are typically held in familiar community settings, like Active Ageing Centres (AACs), to make participation as convenient as possible.
To further reduce barriers, SportSG offers seniors free entry to ActiveSG pools and gyms, and has committed to retrofitting all its gyms with senior-friendly equipment by 2026. Active Health Labs also provide expert-led fitness assessments and workshops.
Complementing these efforts, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has committed to expanding the number of AACs from 157 today to 220 by 2025, ensuring that eight in 10 seniors will have a centre near their homes.
Active Ageing Centres Bring Fitness and Community to Seniors
Research has consistently shown that seniors who maintain strong social ties are more likely to remain active and engaged. The expansion of AACs across Singapore is, in many ways, an attempt to build these social structures alongside opportunities for exercise.
SportSG collaborates closely with AACs through programmes like the Frailty Prevention Programme (FPP), which aims to delay the onset of frailty while encouraging regular movement and community participation.
A key component of this is the Combat Age-related Loss of Muscle (CALM) Programme, which focuses on strength training, nutrition, and sleep, factors critical to maintaining functional independence.
More than 1,200 seniors across 54 centres have already completed the CALM programme since its rollout, with encouraging results.
“Participants have reported better health behaviours, confidence in maintaining muscle strength, and increased social interaction,” said Mr Tan.
After the programme, facilitators encourage seniors to join a 12-week maintenance phase to sustain their progress. They introduce exercises like Square Stepping and Aqua Fun Fit to build long-term habits and prevent a return to inactivity.
But structured exercise is only one part of the equation. SportSG also works with AACs to offer adaptive sports using modified equipment such as seated floorball, disc golf, and sport stacking. These activities are designed to be inclusive while still engaging, allowing seniors of various physical or cognitive abilities to take part.
“These adaptive sports not only improve seniors’ physical and mental wellbeing but also create opportunities for social interaction,” Mr Tan explained.
With the autonomy to tailor activities based on residents’ needs and preferences, many AACs now serve as micro-communities, empowering seniors to lead and organise programmes themselves.
They have become more than just exercise venues, they are now community anchors that encourage active ageing, not in isolation, but together.
How Singapore is Investing in Senior Health
Many seniors still see cost as a barrier, even when programmes offer heavy subsidies or come free. Some associate organised fitness with pricey gym memberships or unfamiliar equipment, while others remain unaware of the accessible options already available.
To break down mental and financial barriers, SportSG gives Singaporeans aged 65 and above free access to ActiveSG pools and gyms. It also offers seniors heavily discounted rates for structured programmes. For example, a combined 14-week CALM 1.0 and 2.0 package costs just $60. Seniors can use ActiveSG credits to cover most of the fees.
“We want to help seniors transition to self-led strength training effectively and safely,” said Mr Tan.
Financial Incentives Encourage Long-Term Senior Participation
In Budget 2025, the government introduced SG60 vouchers and a $100 ActiveSG credit top-up. Seniors can use these to offset gym passes or programme fees. These financial tools aim to encourage participation and help older adults sustain their routines over time.
Seniors will receive SG60 vouchers, which can help cover daily expenses, including wellness activities. $100 in ActiveSG credits will also be provided to encourage participation in sports and fitness programmes.
As Minister Ong highlighted: “In communities, our seniors are more likely to have friends, loved ones and activities to engage in. These are the best therapies to help them stay healthy and avoid frailty.”
He added that ageing should not be viewed as a problem to be fixed by the government, but a social challenge to address collectively.
“You will find examples of programmes implemented not just by ministries and government agencies, but also by corporations, charity organisations and communities. Ageing is, after all, a societal phenomenon requiring a societal response.”
The success of these efforts cannot not be measured solely by participation numbers, it is also about how many seniors feel supported to stay active—today and in the future.
A Shared Responsibility for Healthy Ageing
The expansion of senior-focused programmes reflects a broader belief that ageing well requires more than just healthcare. It demands collective effort from the government, communities, and individuals alike.
Mr Tan emphasised this point, noting beyond ministry-led initiatives, community care partners now lead adaptive sports sessions, while SportSG’s Fit & Fun Toolkit equips them with the skills to engage seniors of all physical and cognitive abilities.
Even with these efforts, challenges remain. The latest National Sport & Exercise Participation Survey found that many seniors still feel “too old” for sport. Others worry that their existing health conditions make movement risky, despite growing evidence to the contrary.
We need to reshape how we talk about ageing. Not as a slow decline, but as a dynamic stage of life—one where strength, flexibility, and joy remain within reach. That means normalising strength training in your 70s. It also means celebrating friends who pick up sport in their 80s. And, of course, designing activities that prioritise joy, connection, and dignity.
We know Singapore is moving towards becoming a “super-aged” society. The question isn’t if we’re ready for it—we must be.
The real question is whether we’re ready to help seniors live the lives they still want.
