Taiwan records a record drop in birth rate in 2024

Taiwan will see a total of 134,856 births in 2024, marking another record low, Focus Taiwan reported on Jan. 10, citing the island's Ministry of Home Affairs.

"A total of 134,856 babies were born in 2024, down 715 from 2023 and marking the ninth consecutive year of decline [in the birth rate]," the piece said.

It noted that Taiwan also recorded its lowest ever number of newborns last year. In general, this indicator has been falling since 2016.

The total population of Taiwan at the end of 2024 amounted to 23,400,220 people - 20,222 less than the level of 2023. At the same time, more than 20% of the island's residents are over 65 years old, because of which journalists predicted the country's likely transformation into a "super-aging society."

Earlier, on January 8, Tohoku University in Japan predicted that by 2720 in Japan due to falling birth rate will be one child under 14 years old. The last such calculations were made on the basis of statistics for 2024.