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By Micah McCartney
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Taiwan's population declined for the 23rd straight month in November, with almost twice as many deaths as births—putting it on track to match the previously reported record low.
Newsweek contacted Taiwan's Ministry of National Health for comment by email outside office hours.
Why It Matters
Birth rates are falling across many high- and middle-income countries as younger generations delay or opt out of having children amid rising living costs and changing attitudes toward family life. The trend has alarmed policymakers over the long-term economic effects of an aging, shrinking workforce and growing pressure on social safety nets.
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Taiwan now ranks among the world's lowest in fertility, with just 0.89 children expected per woman.
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What To Know
Taiwan's population declined by 96,710—or 0.41 percent—at the end of November compared to the same month in 2024, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Ministry of the Interior's Department of Household Registration.
There were 7,946 births across the island, an almost 16 percent increase year on year. Meanwhile, deaths totaled 14,771—equivalent to one every 2.9 minutes.
According to projections by the National Development Council, Taiwan is on track to reach a fertility rate of 0.87—matching the historic low recorded in 2022 and 2023, before ticking slightly upward to 0.89 last year.
That figure is only marginally higher than South Korea's 0.75, the world's lowest fertility rate—though the country has invested billions to reverse the trend.
What People Are Saying
Taiwan's National Development Council said on its website: "As women continue to delay their first marriage, this also postpones the age of first childbearing and further shortens their reproductive period. Delaying childbearing reduces both the likelihood and the desire to have children due to physiological and physical limitations, making it challenging for the birth rate to recover."
Chen Shih-chung, a former health minister and an incumbent minister without portfolio at Taiwan's Executive Yuan, warned in a May article for CommonWealth Magazine: "Both international research and local experience show that cash subsidies are not ineffective—but they are insufficient. The government may believe it is offering adequate support, but many families still face heavy financial burdens. Policy must evolve from easing the burden, to eliminating it—or even reversing it."
What Happens Next
Officials expect Taiwan to join neighboring Japan and South Korea as a "super-aged society"—with those aged 65 and older making up one-fifth of the population—by the end of the year.
Earlier this year, Taiwan's Cabinet approved a new package of subsidies aimed at boosting births, including cash allowance of $100,000 New Taiwan dollars ($3,200) per child. However, given the rising cost of living and stagnant wages, it remains to be seen whether such measures will make a difference.
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