The Singapore government has begun piloting FirstDate, a dating service for singles aged 21 to 35. It is currently available only to civil servants and other public-service workers.

The Japan media outlet Gigazine reported on Sept. 30 that FirstDate is a service developed from an idea proposed by employees at Singapore’s Government Technology Agency, GovTech, at an annual hackathon. Unlike existing dating apps that have users keep swiping through profiles, it introduces only 1 person in each matching cycle.

Users enter survey responses on interests, lifestyle habits, values and the conditions they want in a partner. Based on those inputs, the system provides a compatibility score, an introduction to the other person and a personal message. Matching applies the Gale-Shapley stable marriage algorithm, which uses participants’ preference rankings.

Match results are delivered by text message, and users must decide within 72 hours whether to connect. Contact details are disclosed only if both sides accept. If users choose to meet, they can also be offered “date quests,” such as trying a food they have never eaten before together, followed by a brief survey asking about the outcome of the meeting.

Registration uses Singpass, Singapore’s national digital authentication system. Profiles are disclosed only to matched partners, and contact details are not shared until a user agrees. GovTech said it manages user information in line with government security standards and does not sell or provide it to third parties except when legally required, and that users can request account deactivation and deletion of information.

The pilot is also drawing attention as it intersects with Singapore’s long-running low birthrate problem. Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 in 2025. The government created the Social Development Unit, or SDU, in 1984 to support meetings and marriage among university graduates, and has also continued to support offline exchanges among young people.

FirstDate is still at the internal pilot stage within the public service. Whether to expand eligibility is expected to be decided based on the operating results.