The third and final HDB BTO launch of 2025 has concluded. A total of 9,144 flats were launched in the latest October BTO exercise, almost as many as the other two 2025 launches combined. In total, HDB launched 19,723 BTO flats in 2025. Application rates for first-timer families for these BTO flats are also lower this year, as Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat noted in his Facebook post this week.
“Overall, the median application rates for first-timer families in the BTO exercises have come down this year (ranging from 1.1 to 1.7), compared to 2024 (ranging from 1.6 to 2.6),” he said.
HDB defines the application rate as the number of applications divided by the public flat supply set aside for that household type. For first-timer families, 80% of 3-room flats and 90% of 4-room and bigger flats for launches classified as Standard, and 90% of 3-room and bigger flats for launches classified as Plus or Prime.
Read Also: Standard, Plus & Prime Flats: Guide To Understanding The New Framework For HDB Flats
An application rate of 1.0 means that every applicant can secure a flat in that launch. An application rate of 2.0 means that there is a 50% chance of securing the flat in that launch. By ensuring the median application rate for first-timer families is below 2.0, more than half of total applications have a chance to secure a flat.
Across the three BTO launches in 2025, application rates for first-time families were as low as 0.5 for 3-room flats at Stirling Horizon in Queenstown, a Plus project. The highest was 8.4 for 5-room flats at Simei Symphony in Tampines, a Standard project.
Application Rates For First-Time Families For 3-Room And Bigger BTO Flats In 2025
| Town | Flat Type | Number Of Units | Application Rate |
| February 2025 HDB BTO Launch | |||
| Kallang Whampoa (Tanjong Rhu Parc Front – Prime) | 3-room | 87 | 1.0 |
| 4-room | 464 | 3.7 | |
| Queenstown (Stirling Horizon – Plus) | 3-room | 81 | 0.5 |
| 4-room | 586 | 1.9 | |
| Woodlands (Woodlands North Verge – Standard) | 3-room | 85 | 0.9 |
| 4-room | 608 | 0.9 | |
| 5-room | 535 | 0.9 | |
| Yishun (Chencharu Vines – Standard) | 3-room | 90 | 1.3 |
| Yishun (Chencharu Green – Standard) (Chencharu Vines – Standard) | 4-room | 576 | 1.1 |
| 5-room | 509 | 1.4 | |
| July 2025 HDB BTO Launch | |||
| Bukit Merah (Alexandra Vista – Prime) (Alexandra Peaks – Prime) | 3-room | 169 | 0.6 |
| 4-room | 690 | 2.2 | |
| Bukit Panjang (Bangkit Breeze – Standard) | 3-room | 96 | 0.9 |
| 4-room | 239 | 1.6 | |
| 5-room | 188 | 1.4 | |
| Clementi (Clementi Emerald – Prime) | 3-room | 111 | 1.0 |
| 4-room | 420 | 3.1 | |
| Sembawang (Sembawang Beacon – Standard) | 3-room | 84 | 1.3 |
| 4-room | 286 | 1.2 | |
| 5-room / 3Gen | 237 | 0.6 | |
| Tampines (Simei Symphony – Standard) | 4-room | 140 | 6.7 |
| 5-room | 100 | 8.4 | |
| Toa Payoh (Toa Payoh Ascent – Prime) | 3-room | 78 | 2.0 |
| 4-room | 468 | 6.4 | |
| Woodlands (Woodlands North Grove – Standard) | 3-room | 88 | 1.3 |
| 4-room | 420 | 1.4 | |
| 5-room | 412 | 1.1 | |
| October 2025 HDB BTO Launch | |||
| Ang Mo Kio (Oak Ville @ AMK – Plus) | 3-room | 129 | 0.4 |
| 4-room | 862 | 0.7 | |
| Bedok (Ping Yi Court – Standard) | 3-room | 84 | 1.6 |
| 4-room | 294 | 1.7 | |
| 5-room / 3Gen | 290 | 1.1 | |
| Bishan (Bishan Terraces – Prime) | 3-room | 109 | 0.6 |
| 4-room | 294 | 3.5 | |
| Bukit Merah (Belayar Residences – Prime) | 3-room | 86 | 1.9 |
| Bukit Merah (Belayar Residences – Prime) (Redhill Peaks – Prime) | 4-room | 1078 | 3.1 |
| Jurong East (Teban Gardens – Standard) | 3-room | 107 | 1.0 |
| 4-room | 210 | 2.0 | |
| 5-room / 3Gen | 178 | 2.1 | |
| Sengkang (Fernvale Plains – Standard) | 4-room | 368 | 2.5 |
| 5-room | 362 | 2.4 | |
| Toa Payoh (Mount Pleasant Crest – Prime) | 3-room | 98 | 0.9 |
| 4-room | 709 | 3.3 | |
| Yishun (Chencharu Grove – Standard) | 3-room | 81 | 2.1 |
| Yishun (Chencharu Grove – Standard) (Yishun Glade – Standard) | 4-room | 439 | 1.8 |
| Yishun (Chencharu Grove – Standard) | 5-room | 236 | 3.7 |
Read Also: 5 HDB BTO Application Tips For Young Singaporean Couples To Get Their Homes
Three Ways HDB Kept Median Application Rates For First-Time Families Below 2.0 In 2025
#1 Increasing Supply Of BTO Flats
A surefire way to reduce the application rate is to increase the supply of flats. Launching more flats means more chances for first-timer families, since at least 80% of flats will be allocated to them. In 2025, 19,723 BTO flats were launched, slightly more than the 19,637 BTO flats launched in 2024.
This also means that some BTO projects are massive, with a large number of units available. Earlier this year, Woodlands North Verge launched with 608 4-room flats and 535 5-room flats. The application rate for first-time families was 0.9, meaning that all first-time families who applied for flats in this launch secured one. A slightly smaller Woodlands North launch this year, Woodlands North Grove, saw application rates of 1.4 for the 4-room flats and 1.1 for 5-room flats by first-time families.
#2 Reducing The Number Of BTO Launches
Another change that HDB has made is reducing the number of BTO launches in a year from four to three. Since this was implemented in 2024, we have seen median application rates go down.
One reason for this is that each launch exercise tends to include one or two more attractive locations (typically Plus and Prime projects), which draws attention away from the other projects. In October, 4 of the 10 launches saw higher demand, Prime projects in Bishan, Bukit Merah, and Toa Payoh, as well as 5-room flats in Yishun.
This had the effect of lowering the demand for the remaining six launches, including the sole Plus project in Ang Mo Kio, which saw surprisingly low application rates below 1.0 for both 3-room and 4-room flats.
#3 Launching Two Projects In The Same Town
Typically, when HDB launches two projects in the same town in the same exercise, applications for one site are combined with those for the other. In 2025, we saw how applications for Chencharu Green and Chencharu Vines, both in Yishun, were combined in February. Alexandra Vista and Alexandra Peaks, both in Bukit Merah and launched together in July, were another example.
In both these examples, the launches are situated relatively close to each other. But sometimes HDB launches two projects in the same town that are far apart. This was the case with Yishun Glade and Chencharu Grove in October’s launch. The launch in Yishun Glade has only 4-room flats, while Chencharu Grove has 3-room, 4-room, and 5-room flats.
By combining the applications by first-time families for both launches, we notice that the application rate for 4-room flats in Yishun (1.8) is lower than for 3-room flats (2.1) and 5-room flats (3.7). This suggests that Chencharu Grove is the more popular of the two Yishun launches, and that combining applications with Yishun Glade lowers the application rate.
Read Also: HDB Price Guide: Cheapest And Most Expensive Estates In 2025
