Taiwan’s fertility rate set to become world’s lowest by 2035 as ‘ticking demographic time bomb’ grows louder
- Taiwan’s total fertility rate could drop to a historic low of 0.89 births per woman of a childbearing age this year, down from 0.98 in 2021
- South Korea’s fertility rate currently stands as the world’s lowest at around 0.8, with Hong Kong, Singapore and mainland China also facing demographic issues
Taiwan’s fertility rate is forecast to fall to the world’s lowest by 2035, although an anticipated turnaround by 2045 offers hope for the industrialised island that depends on a stable labour force for its signature hi-tech exports.
Births per woman of a childbearing age in Taiwan are expected to average 1.12 by the middle of the next decade, which would put Taiwan below the 1.18 rate predicted for South Korea by its Journal for Korean Medical Science.
Taiwan’s total fertility rate currently stands at just below one birth per woman at 0.98 in 2021 having recovered slightly from the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but could fall to a historic low of 0.89 this year, according to the council.
The pandemic is hurting the economy, which affects people’s willingness to give birth or they put it off
“The pandemic is hurting the economy, which affects people’s willingness to give birth or they put it off,” an official from the council’s personnel development section told the Post on Tuesday.
