Many aspects of Taiwan’s society could be adversely affected if something is not done to increase the birth rate, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang said May 13.
According to Chien, in recent years the number of births per year has been steadily falling, from 425,125 new births in 1976, to 191,310 newborns in 2009.
The fertility rate, too, has dropped, from 3.9 children per woman in 1976 to 1.03 in 2009. Along with Germany, Taiwan now has the lowest birth rate in the entire world, Chien pointed out.
The deputy minister noted that the nation’s birth rate is correlated to its low marriage rate and the tendency for couples to marry later in life these days.
In 2000, 181,000 couples registered to be married, a record high number, Chien said. But ever since then, the number of couples choosing to tie the knot has been declining. In 2009 only 117,000 weddings were performed, almost 70,000 fewer than only 10 years ago.
In 1976, the age of the average groom stood at 27.9. By 2009, the age of the average groom had risen to 33.9. Over the same period, the age of the average bride has increased from 23.8 to 30.3.
If fewer people get married, the number of births is bound to fall as well, Chien said.
In 2009 Taiwan’s crude birth rate—the number of childbirths per 1,000 people per year—had fallen to 8.29, while its crude death rate had fallen to 6.22. If this trend continues at its current pace, by 2017 the total population will be experiencing zero growth, while by 2018 it will witness negative growth.
Chien noted that old superstitions have played a part in the declining birth and marriage rates. Last year was what is known as a “single phoenix year,” considered an inauspicious time for getting married, while this year is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac, considered an unlucky year to have children.
There have been three Tiger years between 1976 and 2010, in 1986, 1998 and 2010, Chien noted. In 1986 and 1998, the number of births both fell sharply; and 2010 is on track to be a low birth year as well: the number of births between January and April is already 4,910 fewer than the same period last year.
“Let us try to free ourselves from these superstitions,” Chien said. (HZW)