Taiwan sees 18th consecutive month of population decline

Taipei, July 10 (CNA) Taiwan's population declined for the 18th consecutive month as of the end of June, according to data released Thursday by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI).

A total of 8,968 babies were born in June, marking an increase of 535 from May, and ending a three-month decline that included record lows of 8,684 in April and 8,433 in May, the MOI said.

The June figure is equivalent to roughly one birth every 4.8 minutes and corresponds to an annual crude birth rate of 4.67 per 1,000 people.

In total, 55,375 babies were born in the first half of 2025, down 8,499 from the same period last year, when 63,874 births were recorded.

Meanwhile, 16,554 deaths were reported in June, equivalent to approximately one death every 2.6 minutes.

That figure represents an increase of 1,172 from May and 1,632 more than in June 2024.

The crude death rate for the month stood at 8.63 per 1,000 people. The natural population decrease - the difference between births and deaths - was 7,586 for June.

In addition, the country recorded a net migration loss of 1,143 people in June, with 71,834 people immigrating and 72,977 emigrating, according to MOI data.

Combined with the natural decrease, Taiwan's total population declined by 8,729 from the previous month.

As of the end of June, Taiwan's population stood at 23,346,741 - a decrease of 66,158 compared with the same period last year. That translates to an average daily decline of 181.25 people.

The steepest year-on-year population declines were recorded in the outlying counties of Kinmen (down 2.73 percent) and the Matsu islands Lienchiang County, down 2.61 percent), followed by Taipei (down 2.11 percent).

Demographic data showed that people aged 0-14 accounted for 11.63 percent of the population (2,716,281), while those aged 15-64 made up 68.78 percent (16,057,007).

The population aged 65 and older totaled 4,573,453, or 19.59 percent, putting Taiwan on the verge of becoming a "super-aged society," defined by the United Nations as a society where at least 20 percent of the population is 65 or older.

Among all local governments, Taipei City had the highest proportion of residents aged 65 and older, at 23.61 percent, while Hsinchu County had the lowest, at 14.76 percent.