TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s population fell for a 31st consecutive month in July, while births in the first seven months of the year dropped by more than 10,000 from the same period last year, CNA reported Monday.
Liberty Times reported that Taiwan’s population stood at 23,235,002 at the end of July. The interior ministry said the total was down 102,934 from a year earlier and fell by 8,563 from June.
There were 7,906 births in July, up 582 from June but down 1,033 from the same month last year. Taiwan recorded 54,250 births from January through July, compared with 64,314 during the same period last year, a decline of 10,064, according to the interior ministry.
Taitung County had the highest crude birth rate in July, followed by Yunlin County and Lienchiang County. Keelung had the lowest crude birth rate, followed by Tainan and Chiayi County.
UDN reported that Taiwan recorded 17,119 deaths in July, up 273 from a year earlier and 779 from June. During the first seven months of the year, there were 115,628 deaths, more than twice the number of births.
Deaths exceeded births by 9,213 in July, while 650 more people moved into Taiwan than left. Together, these changes caused the population to fall by 8,563 from June.
People aged 65 and older totaled 4,773,519 at the end of July, accounting for 20.54% of Taiwan’s population. Hsinchu County, Hsinchu, Taoyuan, Lienchiang County, and Taichung were the only areas where people aged 65 and older made up less than 20% of the population.
