Taiwans 10.3% Birth Decline in 2022
OK, so Taiwan Birth Data for 2022 is completed. December wont be officially released until January 10 but the years total was released to the local media
A whopping 10.3% decline in 2022
Year. Births. (% YOY decline)
2022- 138,000. (-10.3%)
2021- 153,820. (-6.9%)
2020 165,249. (-7.3%)
2019- 177,767. (-2.2%)
2018- 181,601 (-6.3%)
2017- 193,844. (-7.0%)
2016- 208,440. (-2.4%)
2015- 213,598. (-2.5%)
2014- 219,383. (+11.0%)
2013- 199,119 (-15.5%)
#2012- 235,723. (+19.9%)
2011- 196,627 (+17.8%)
*2010 161,622. (-15.5%)
2009- 191,310 (-4%)
2004- 216 419
2000 - 305,300 dragon year
1976- 425,125
# auspicious year of the Dragon plus introduction of baby bonus
*inauspicious year of the white tiger associated with characters for jinx
The free online chart tool I was using now requires a credit card for age and location verification (WTF) so fool them, but for those who like pictures
Of course, Taiwan is known for wild fluctuations year to year and has been in a fairly rapid decline since 2000.
In his 2011 New Year’s Day Address, then President Ma Ying-jeou declared the 0.89 TFR to be a national crisis. He proclaimed that the government will tackle the low TFR and encourage Taiwanese women to bear more children, and over the following year introduced policies such as children-rearing subsidies and daycare.
https://taiwaninsight.org/2019/03/29/evaluating-the-impact-of-taiwans-fertility-policy/
TAIPEI – Taiwan’s total fertility rate, or births per woman, will be the lowest in the world in 2021, the CIA says in its latest estimation.
Its statistics published online show that among the 227 countries and regions, Taiwan ranks last at 1.07 children per woman, far below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to maintain the population.
There are a number of reasons affecting this, such women getting married later or not at all and economic reasons such as the high price of housing and migration of factory jobs to China.
HPV vaccines introduced around 2011 (uptake about 60%) and increasing RF/EMR may play some role as well, especially given Taiwans high population density means pretty much 24/7 saturation for much of the population
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COVID has put a damper on marriages no doubt and having children out of wedlock is pretty rare here, so thats another factor
I am sure COVID Vaccines plays some part in this decline but its hard to quantify it.
Between excess deaths and low births, as well as outward migration Taiwan has lost 161,194 population people since November 2021
More importantly is the distribution
Pop Change. % chang Age (% of Pop)
-74,475 -2.6% 0-14. (12.1%)
-223,362 -1.4%. 15-64 (70.4%)
+136,643 +3.3% over 64 (17.5%)
Despite over 30,000 Excess Deaths in 2022, most of whom were over 65 this age group increased (lot of kids born on Taiwan in the 50’s becoming seniors today, my wife had 7 other brothers and sisters and this was not unusual-and these 8 combined to have only 9 kids)
I think Taiwan has bigger problems looming than China. This is a National Security Concern