Taipei’s population dropped below 2.5 million in September, with people aged 30 to 50 making up the largest group leaving the capital, Taipei City Government data showed.
The number of registered residents in Taipei rebounded to 2.5 million in May last year before rising to 2.51 million in December last year, the data showed.
However, that figure fell to 2,498,210 by September, and as of last month, Taipei had 2,493,210 registered residents.
Photo: Taipei Times
Among those who have moved out of the city, 8,987 were aged 20 to 30, 13,982 were aged 30 to 40, 15,647 were aged 40 to 50 and 9,649 were aged 50 to 60, the data showed.
Taipei Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Chen Yung-te (陳永德) said the city has been losing about 2,000 to 3,000 residents to other cities every month this year due to the high cost of living and housing prices.
“Most of the people leaving move to areas near MRT lines or the high-speed rail system, with 80 percent moving to New Taipei City and 20 percent to Taoyuan,” he said.
People leaving Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) mostly move to New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), while those in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) move to New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止), he said.
Moving to New Taipei City reduces housing prices without adding too much extra time to commutes, he said.
The drop in registered residents was most apparent in 2022. Daan District (大安) had the smallest population decrease that year, followed by Shihlin (士林) and Beitou (北投) districts, department data showed.
Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞) of the Taiwan People’s Party, who represents constituents in Neihu (內湖) and Nangang districts, said that married couples likely left because they cannot afford to buy houses in Taipei.
Chen, who grew up in Taipei, said that few of his classmates stayed in Neihu, with most of them moving to New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口) or Taoyuan because of Taipei’s high housing prices.
“Amid a population drain, who would want to live here? Who would stay behind to take care of elderly residents? Taipei could soon become a city where people only come to work during the day, and turn into a deserted town at night,” he said.
The population decline could also affect the number of city council seats a district has.
Taipei City Councilor Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) said that no additional seats would be added to represent residents of Nangang and Neihu districts due to a continual decline of residents.
Aside from offering subsidies to renters, the Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs said that it is planning to introduce policies to increase the city’s population, such as encouraging and assisting renters in making Taipei their registered residence, increasing rental properties available for younger people and helping older residents find rental units.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
RSS