TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s declining birth rate and falling marriage numbers are accelerating concerns over long-term demographic stability, as new data show both measures reaching historic lows.

The total fertility rate fell to 0.695 last year, down sharply from 0.885 a year earlier, while marriages dropped to just over 104,000, also a record low, per Liberty Times. Births totaled about 107,000, far below the more than 400,000 annual births recorded in the 1970s and 1980s.

Officials say the drop in marriages points to continued weakness ahead. The data also show people are forming families later in life, with first marriages now averaging 33.1 years for men and 31.1 for women, and first-time mothers averaging 31.7 years.

Taiwan has already entered a super-aged stage, with 20% of the population aged 65 and older. With fewer children being born, the share of elderly residents is expected to rise more quickly than previously projected, increasing pressure on the working-age population.

Earlier projections suggested Taiwan’s population would drop to roughly 14.37 million by 2070, but new calculations based on the latest fertility rate indicate that milestone could arrive sooner. The point at which the population drops below 12 million may now come around 2065, several years earlier than expected, per Liberty Times.

At the same time, the structure of the labor force is shifting. The proportion of workers aged 45 to 64 is projected to exceed 60% by 2070, while the number of younger workers entering the workforce in the coming years may fall about 20% short of earlier estimates.

Officials also warn that the old-age dependency ratio, which tracks how many elderly people each working-age person supports, could deteriorate faster than expected, with one worker eventually supporting one senior.

The government has expanded childbirth subsidies, offering up to NT$100,000 (US$3,125) per child, but officials acknowledge financial incentives alone may not reverse the trend. Data suggest that delayed marriage and a growing number of people choosing not to marry remain central to Taiwan’s low birth rate, with more structural economic obstacles to household formation still looming for many.