Taiwan has officially become an “aged society,” as more than 14 percent of its population is older than 65, while estimates show that the nation could become a “hyper-aged society” within eight years, the Ministry of the Interior said.
Chiayi, Yunlin and Nantou counties are the three “oldest” counties and cities, while Lienchiang County, Hsinchu City and Taoyuan are the three “youngest” counties and cities, the ministry said.
From 1993 to March this year — within a span of 25 years — Taiwan changed from an aging society into an aged society, it said, adding that within that time frame, the number of elderly people — those aged 65 or older — grew from 1.49 million people, or 7.10 percent of the nation’s population, to 3.31 million people, or 14.05 percent.
The National Development Council estimates that within eight years, the elderly population will exceed 20 percent of the total population, the ministry said, adding that Taiwan would join the ranks of other hyper-aged societies such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore and certain European countries.
Chiayi County has the highest percentage of elderly people nationwide at 18.61 percent, the ministry said, adding that within the county, Yijhu Township (義竹) has the most elderly people at 24.73 percent, followed by Lioujiao Township (六腳) at 25.48 percent and Lucao (鹿草) at 24.99 percent.
Yunlin County is No. 2 at 17.69 percent, with Shueilin Township (水林) having the most elderly people countywide at 24.38 percent, followed by Yuanchang Township (元長) at 23.66 percent and Dongshih Township (東勢) at 21.98 percent, the ministry said.
Nantou County is No. 3 at 16.70 percent, with Jhongliao Township (中寮) having the most elderly people countywide at 22.03 percent, followed by Lugu Township (鹿谷) at 21.60 percent and Jiji Township (集集) at 21.06 percent, it said.
By contrast, the elderly populations of Lienchiang County, Taoyuan and Hsinchu City comprised only 10.73 percent, 10.96 percent and 11.64 percent respectively, it said.
Dongyin Township (東引) is the “youngest” township in Lienchiang County at 7.73 percent, followed by Lujhu District (蘆竹) in Taoyuan at 8.94 percent and Siangshan District (香山) in Hsinchu City at 10.86 percent, the ministry said.
New Taipei City’s Pingsi District (平溪), Kaohsiung’s Tianliao District (田寮), Tainan’s Zuojhen District (左鎮), Miaoli County’s Shihtan Township (獅潭) and Tainan’s Longci District (龍崎) were the five cities and townships with the highest elderly populations, it said, adding that elderly people make up 28.57 percent of the population in Pingsi, 27.84 percent in Tianliao, 27.37 percent in Zuojhen, 26.47 percent in Shihtan and 25.97 percent in Longci.
The national gender ratio (the number of men for every 100 women) dropped below 100 as of November 2013, while the gender ratio for the elderly population had dropped below 100 in September 2005, the ministry said.
As of last month, there were only 85 elderly men in the population for every 100 elderly women, the ministry said, attributing the figure to a lower life expectancy for men.
Lienchiang County, which administers Matsu, is the only county with more elderly men than women, the ministry said, adding that Chiayi, Hsinchu and Taipei were the three cities nationwide with the widest gender imbalances, at 79.48 percent, 80.31 percent and 81.12 percent respectively.
In terms of dependency, as of February last year, there were 36.32 dependents per 100 workers, while elderly dependency (18.18 dependents) exceeded youth dependency (18.14 dependents), it said.
Taipei has the highest ratio of elderly dependency with 43.52 elderly dependents per 100 workers, followed by Yunlin County at No. 2 with 41.67 and Hsinchu City at No. 3 with 40.74, it said.
Individuals of working age are defined as those aged 15 to 64, dependents are infants to those aged 14 and elderly individuals are those aged 65 and older, the ministry said.
Only Taoyuan, Taichung, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu and Lienchiang counties have a higher ratio of youth dependency, while all other cities and townships show a higher rate of elderly dependency, it added.
A year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
TO BE APPEALED: The environment ministry said coal reduction goals had to be reached within two months, which was against the principle of legitimate expectation The Taipei High Administrative Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau in its administrative litigation against the Ministry of Environment for the rescission of a NT$18 million fine (US$609,570) imposed by the bureau on the Taichung Power Plant in 2019 for alleged excess coal power generation. The bureau in November 2019 revised what it said was a “slip of the pen” in the text of the operating permit granted to the plant — which is run by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) — in October 2017. The permit originally read: “reduce coal use by 40 percent from Jan.
‘SPEY’ REACTION: Beijing said its Eastern Theater Command ‘organized troops to monitor and guard the entire process’ of a Taiwan Strait transit China sent 74 warplanes toward Taiwan between late Thursday and early yesterday, 61 of which crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. It was not clear why so many planes were scrambled, said the Ministry of National Defense, which tabulated the flights. The aircraft were sent in two separate tranches, the ministry said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday “confirmed and welcomed” a transit by the British Royal Navy’s HMS Spey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel, through the Taiwan Strait a day earlier. The ship’s transit “once again [reaffirmed the Strait’s] status as international waters,” the foreign ministry said. “Such transits by