Taiwan’s population last year fell for the first time, as the nation continued to experience a low birthrate and an aging population, the Ministry of the Interior said.
At the end of last year, the total population stood at 23,561,236 people, down 41,885 people, or 0.18 percent, from 2019, new statistics released by the Department of Household Registration showed.
Fertility last year showed a sharp decline, with 165,249 births, down 7.04 percent from 2019, while mortality edged lower with 173,156 deaths, down 1.78 percent, the statistics showed.
The number of deaths exceeded the number of births by 7,907 people, contributing to the nation’s