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.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS