TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s birthrate hit a record low in 2025, marking the 10th consecutive year of decline, while National Development Council Minister Yeh Jun-hsien (葉俊顯) said on Monday that previous population projections had been overly optimistic.
Taiwan’s population declined to 23,299,132 in 2025, per CNA. The 2025 newborn count of 107,812 set a record low, while February saw only 6,523 births, the first month on record to fall below 7,000.
By comparison, the NDC’s 2024 report, "Population Projections for the Republic of China (Taiwan): 2024-2070," projected 126,000 births in 2025 under the worst-case “low-projection” scenario.
Yeh appeared at the Legislative Yuan’s Economic Committee to report on the matter. Lawmakers expressed concern over the record-low birthrate and asked what measures the government would take to address it.
He acknowledged that the previous estimates were “too optimistic.” Yeh said the upcoming report will revise projections and statistical models, relying more on worst-case scenarios to reflect the situation.
Yeh said Taiwan is facing a trend of delayed marriage and low fertility, with multiple contributing factors, including family-unfriendly workplaces, economic pressure, and shifts in young people’s values. He said that current subsidy policies appear to have a limited effect, and research from Academia Sinica shows simple cash subsidies have little impact on boosting fertility.
The government will review existing policies. “Measures that Counter Falling Fertility Rate 2.0” will be revised to address pregnancy, childcare, child-rearing, housing, and employment, with the NDC coordinating with the Cabinet and Ministry of Health and Welfare and drawing on experiences from countries such as South Korea and Singapore to stabilize the birth rate.
