Taiwan is likely to witness a population decline for a second consecutive year, unless the birthrate spikes in the final three months of this year, Ministry of the Interior data suggested on Saturday.
As of last month, the number of births stood at 112,470, roughly equivalent to a baby being born every 3.2 minutes, or a crude birth rate of 6.99 newborns per 1,000 people, the ministry said.
The nation recorded 138,018 deaths over the period, exceeding births by 25,548 people, the ministry said.
The number of births in the first nine months of this year fell 5.5 percent, or 6,545 people, from