The number of babies born in the nation during the first six months of the year reached 82,712, a decline of 8.9 percent compared to the same period last year, the Ministry of the Interior’s latest statistics released on Saturday showed.
The ministry attributed the drop to some people’s reluctance to have children born in the “Year of the Tiger,” in the 12-year cycle of animals on the Chinese zodiac.
However, the drop was smaller than the 16.7 percent year-on-year decline in the previous Year of the Tiger in 1998, the ministry said in a statement.
For the period from January to last month, there was a crude birth rate of only 3.58, the lowest level ever in Taiwan, the statistics showed. Crude birth rate is calculated based on the number of babies born per 1,000 people per year.
Taiwan had one of the world’s lowest birth rates with eight births per 1,000 people last year, far lower than the global average of 20 births per 1,000 people.
Last year, 191,310 babies were born in Taiwan, down nearly 4 percent from the previous year.
The latest ministry tallies show that Hsinchu City, the high-tech hub near Taipei, recorded the highest birth rate, 5.8 per 1,000, among all cities and counties in Taiwan, followed by 5.37 in Kinmen County and 5 in Hsinchu County.
More than 90 percent of newborn babies in the first six months of the year were born to local mothers, while 5 percent were born to mothers from China, Hong Kong and Macau and 3.9 percent to mothers from other countries, the statistics showed.
The government has launched many programs to boost the birth rate, including subsidies for families to hire nannies or have their babies attend day care centers, as well as subsidies for people who want to go on extended parental leave, the ministry said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS