Taiwan Today

The population of Taipei has dropped by 17,084 over the last 20 months, according to statistics released by the city’s Department of Civil Affairs Sept. 21. The statistics show that Taipei had a population of 2,629,689 in January 2008, which fell to 2,622,923 at the end of the same year, and dropped further to 2,612,605 in August 2009. In 2008 a total number of 111,733 residents moved out of the city, while only 101,558 moved in. According to the DCA, soaring real estate prices have forced people to find places in Taipei’s neighboring satellite cities to reduce housing and living costs. Shortened commuting times due to the completion of subway stations and the opening of the high speed railway have also contributed to the decrease in Taipei’s population. A number of other factors are also responsible for Taipei’s loss of population. In recent years many mid-sized companies have had to lay off employees or even shut down operations because of the economic recession. Workers who migrated from central or southern Taiwan seeking employment in Taipei have steadily returned to their hometowns in the hope of finding more job opportunities. As a result, the number of people moving out of Taipei amounted to 12,053 for the month of August, an increase of 4,695 compared to January. Low fertility rates are another reason for Taipei’s shrinking population, the DCA said. Taipei’s birth rate has been going down every year. From January to July 2009 there have been 11,052 new births, a drop of 841 year-on-year. If the trend in decreasing population continues, Taipei will have 62 city-council seats instead of the 63 originally planned, noted the Department of Civil Affairs under the Ministry of the Interior. The Executive Yuan approved a draft amendment to the Local Government Act Sept. 17 proposing the number of city-council representatives be determined by population figures. The draft states that special municipalities with fewer than two million residents can have a maximum of 55 district representatives, while those with more than two million will receive an additional representative for every additional 100,000 residents. The maximum number of such representatives for each special municipality will be 62. In accordance with the amendment, Taipei City would have a total of 63 seats, including one seat each for plain-dwelling and mountain-dwelling aborigines, 11 more than the current 52 positions. MOI officials said, however, Taipei’s population falls on the margin of 63 seats. If its number of residents keeps dwindling, it will probably have 62 seats when the Central Election Commission announces the number of city councilor seats in mid-2010. (LC-THN)