Taiwan’s population last year dropped amid a record low 134,856 births, despite it being the Year of the Dragon, data from the Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Household Registration showed yesterday.
Dragons symbolize emperors in most of the Mandarin-speaking world and babies born in the Year of the Dragon are traditionally believed to have a promising future.
However, the population declined to about 23.4 million last year, down 20,222 from the previous year, the data showed, meaning that on average there were 55.25 fewer people each day.
Photo courtesy of Lee Women’s Hospital
The first record of population decline in Taiwan was in 2020. The population increased in 2023.
The number of births has decreased each year over the past decade from 213,598 newborns in 2015, 208,440 in 2016, 193,844 in 2017, 181,601 in 2018, 177,767 in 2019, 165,249 in 2020, 153,820 in 2021, 138,986 in 2022 to 135,571 in 2023, ministry data showed.
Last year’s record low meant that the crude birth rate was 5.76 per 1,000 people.
There were 715 fewer births last year than in 2023, which had a crude birth rate of 5.81 per 1,000 people, the data showed.
Deaths last year totaled 202,107, or a crude death rate of 8.80 per 1,000 people, down 3,261 from 205,368 a year earlier, or a crude death rate of 7.90 per 1,000 people.
The natural shift in the population — births minus deaths — was minus-67,251 last year.
The social increase of the population, or the number of people who moved to Taiwan minus the number of people who moved away, was 47,029 last year, the data showed.
The natural and social changes combined showed a population loss of 20,222.
Last month, 86,520 people moved to Taiwan, up 3,635 from November, while 84,146 people moved away, an increase of 4,327 from November, the data showed.
Net migration last month was 2,374, with Taichung’s 1,989 the most among Taiwan’s regions, followed by 1,645 for Taoyuan and 927 for New Taipei City, they showed.
Meanwhile, the number of new marriages decreased.
The number of marriages last year was 123,061, or 5.26 per 1,000 people, down 2,131 from 125,192 in 2023, while the number of divorces was 53,469, or a crude divorce rate of 2.28 per 1,000 people, the data showed.
Chang Jung-fu (張榮富), a professor in the Department of Social and Regional Development at the National Taipei University of Education, said the data indicate that Taiwanese, especially women, focus more on their careers than childbirth and have lost interest in having “dragon babies.”
Additional reporting by CNA
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS