2021/01/13 14:36
(Pixabay photo)
(Pixabay photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An expert has suggested that an increase in the nation's marriage rate is a key to boosting Taiwan’s birth rates.
Taiwan had experienced a population decline in 2020, for the first time ever. In the past year, the country saw 165,249 births and 173,156 deaths. It recorded an overall population of 23,561,236, down 41,885, or 0.18 percent, from the previous year, according to the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) data.
Authorities must address the fundamental reasons behind the country’s falling marriage rates, which have had an impact on the number of newborns, said Cheng Yen-hsin (鄭雁馨), an associate research fellow at the Institute of Sociology, Academic Sinica. Whether it is people’s tendency to shun marriages, lack of social skills to find a partner, or difficulties in forming a family, it needs to be sorted out, she said.