Taiwan reports 2024 population decline as newborns hit record low

TAIPEI, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's population declined in 2024, failing to sustain its 2023 rebound, the island's internal affairs department said on Friday.

As of the end of 2024, Taiwan's population was approximately 23.4 million, a decrease of 20,222 people compared to the end of 2023, the department said.

The number of newborns in 2024 fell to 134,856, the lowest figure since records began. This represented a crude birth rate of 5.76 per 1,000 people, a drop of 715 births from 2023 and marking the ninth consecutive annual decline since 2016.

A total of 202,107 deaths were recorded on the island in 2024 -- equivalent to a crude death rate of 8.63 per 1,000 people -- which was 3,261 fewer deaths than in 2023.

The number of marriages also declined, with 123,061 couples tying the knot in Taiwan last year, 2,131 fewer than the previous year.

The proportion of the population aged 65 and above accounted for 19.18 percent of the region's total. This means that Taiwan is now on the brink of becoming a super-aged society -- a society in which seniors aged 65 and above account for 20 percent of the total population.