Taiwan Sees Unusually Low Numbers of Dragon Year Babies Born on Jan. 1

TaiwanPlus News

The Year of the Dragon is typically an auspicious time to have children in Taiwan and to be born on January 1 is considered even luckier. This year, however, the Dragon year has not carried as much sway as it once did.

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00:00There are still about 20 days left in the year of the dragon, considered an auspicious

00:06year in Taiwan to have kids.

00:10Children born in a dragon year are believed to be blessed with good fortune.

00:15But it seems these days that even divine protection isn't enough to encourage people in Taiwan

00:21to have kids.

00:23Taiwan's birth rate is declining.

00:26The country is set to become a super-aged society this year, meaning one in every five

00:31people will be aged 65 and older.

00:35A hospital in the city of Taichung is noticing a big difference in the number of births,

00:41particularly on New Year's Day on the Western calendar.

00:56Last year, the hospital saw seven births on New Year's Day.

01:05This year, there were only two in the early hours of 2025, a trend that's causing alarm

01:11among the staff.

01:13Taiwan's birth rate has dropped for eight years straight.

01:17Many blame social and economic pressures for the decline.

01:31Taiwan's birth rate has fallen dramatically compared to the past two dragon years in the

01:3712-year zodiac cycle.

01:39Two cycles, that's 24 years ago, three times as many babies were born as this year.

01:46Given that, Taiwan may need more than divine fortune to turn its declining birth rate around.

01:52Justin Wu and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.

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