Record Low Number of Babies Born in May in Taiwan

Taiwan’s society is ageing more rapidly, with births hitting a record low in May.

Transcript

00:00Taiwan society is aging more rapidly, with births hitting a record low in May,

00:05further shrinking the country's population of around 23 million people.

00:09Fewer than 9,000 babies were born in May, while over 10,000 deaths were recorded that month.

00:16It marks Taiwan's 17th consecutive month of population decline, according to the Interior Ministry statistics.

00:23While the marriage rate has rebounded slightly, it's uncertain if that will translate to more births down the road.

00:30Taiwan faces long-term demographic challenges.

00:33The country is set to become a super-aged society this year, with over 20% of its population aged 65 or older.