《TAIPEI TIMES》 Population slides for 30th month

An infant’s foot is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: CNA

By Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNA Taiwan yesterday reported its 30th month of consecutive population decline, underscoring the demographic challenges facing the manufacturing hub at the center of the global artificial intelligence boom.

The nation’s population stood at 23,243,565 at the end of last month, a decrease of more than 100,000 from June last year and more than 9,000 from May, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement.

The latest figures marked the longest stretch of consecutive declines in data going back to the end of World War II, surpassing the 29-month stretch during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloomberg calculations showed.

There were just 46,344 births recorded in the first half of the year, down from 55,375 in the same period last year, ministry data showed.

Taiwan officially became a super-aged society last year, meaning people aged 65 or older account for more than 20 percent of the population.

As of the end of last month, 11.34 percent of the population was aged zero to 14, 68.18 percent was aged 15 to 64 and 20.49 percent was aged 65 or older, the data showed.

Taipei had the highest percentage of elderly residents, with 24.61 percent of people aged 65 or older, while Hsinchu County had the lowest at 15.38 percent, the data showed.

Last month, 7,324 births were recorded, 1,644 fewer than in June last year, but 492 more than in May, the ministry said.

The highest crude birthrate was recorded in Hsinchu City, at 5.05 births per 1,000 people, followed by Yunlin County at 4.86 per 1,000 and Taoyuan at 4.66, it said.

The lowest crude birthrates were reported in Keelung at 2.2 births per 1,000 people, followed by Chiayi County at 2.66 per 1,000 and Miaoli County at 3.24, the ministry said.

Last month, 16,340 deaths were recorded, yielding a crude death rate of 8.55 per 1,000 people, with 214 fewer deaths than in the same period last year, but 1,182 more than in May, it added.

Looking at migration, 65,101 people entered Taiwan last month, 4,311 fewer than in the previous month, while 65,161 people left Taiwan, also fewer than in May, the ministry said.

The number of people leaving Taiwan outstripped new arrivals by 60, it added.

Meanwhile, 7,210 marriages were registered last month, 254 of them between same-sex couples, while 4,269 divorces were registered, 81 involving same-sex couples, the data showed.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg 新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES