At year-end 2012, 11.2 percent of Taiwan’s population was over the age of 65, for an aging index of 76.21 percent, up 32 percentage points over the last 10 years, according to the Ministry of the Interior Jan. 26.
The aging index is the number of people 65 years and older per 100 youths under the age of 15. MOI statistics showed roughly 2.6 million people over 65 and 3.41 million under 15 at the end of last year.
While the figure for Taiwan far exceeds the world average of 30.77 percent and 20.69 percent for developing countries, it falls well below the average of 100 percent for developed countries, the MOI said. Japan stands at 184.62 percent, Germany 161.54 percent, the U.K. 94.44 percent and France 87.5 percent.
Taiwan leads other major nations, however, including Australia at 73.68 percent, New Zealand 70 percent, South Korea 68.75 percent, the U.S. 65 percent, mainland China 56.25 percent, Singapore 52.94 percent, Malaysia 18.52 percent and the Philippines 11.43 percent, the ministry said.
Taiwan’s north and center have the lowest aging indexes at 69.14 percent and 75.28 percent, respectively, with outlying Kinmen and Matsu, at 94.45 percent, and eastern Taiwan, at 94.18 percent, the highest, the MOI said. By county and city, Chiayi County is the oldest with an aging index of 127.68 percent, followed by Penghu’s 113.61 percent and Yunlin’s 110.1 percent.
Taoyuan County, Hsinchu City and Taichung City recorded the lowest indexes at 51.11 percent, 51.9 percent and 56.4 percent, respectively. (THN)