In 2023, the average total fertility rate in Taiwan ranged at around 0.87 children per woman over lifetime. This extremely low figure is not expected to increase over the coming years. Taiwan’s demographic development Taiwan was once known for its strong population growth. After the retreat of the Republican government to the island in 1949, the population grew quickly. However, during Taiwan’s rapid economic development thereafter, the fertility rate dropped substantially. This drastic change occurred in most East Asian countries as well, of which many have some of the lowest fertility rates in the world today. As a result, populations in many East Asian regions are already shrinking or are expected to do so soon.In Taiwan, population decreased in 2020 for the first time, and the declining trend is expected to accelerate in the years ahead. At the same time, life expectancy has increased considerably, and Taiwan’s population is now aging at fast pace, posing a huge challenge to the island’s social security net. Addressing challenges of an aging society Most east Asian countries could, until recently, afford generous public pensions and health care systems, but now need to adjust to their changing reality. Besides providing incentives to raise children, the Taiwanese government also tries to attract more immigrants by lowering requirements for permanent residency. As both strategies have been met with limited success, the focus remains on reforming the pension system. This is being done mainly by raising the retirement age, promoting late-age employment, increasing pension contributions, and lowering pension payments.

Chart and table of the Taiwan fertility rate from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

This statistic shows the crude birth rate in Taiwan from 2000 to 2024. In 2024, about 5.76 children were born per 1,000 people in Taiwan.

This statistic shows the fertility rate in Taiwan from 2013 to 2023. As of 2023, the average number of births per 1,000 women during their childbearing years ranged at 25 births in Taiwan.

Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Crude Birth Rate: per 1000 Persons data was reported at 6.000 NA in 2050. This stayed constant from the previous number of 6.000 NA for 2049. Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Crude Birth Rate: per 1000 Persons data is updated yearly, averaging 7.900 NA from Jun 1990 (Median) to 2050, with 61 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.600 NA in 1990 and a record low of 5.800 NA in 2044. Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Crude Birth Rate: per 1000 Persons data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Taiwan – Table TW.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

The general fertility rate in Taiwan amounted to 25 births per 1,000 women in childbearing age in 2023. The adolescent fertility rate ranged at three births per 1,000 women, whereas in the age group between 30 and 34 years an average fertility rate of 63 births per 1000 women was registered.

The statistic shows the 20 countries with the lowest fertility rates in 2024. All figures are estimates. In 2024, the fertility rate in Taiwan was estimated to be at 1.11 children per woman, making it the lowest fertility rate worldwide. Fertility rate The fertility rate is the average number of children born per woman of child-bearing age in a country. Usually, a woman aged between 15 and 45 is considered to be in her child-bearing years. The fertility rate of a country provides an insight into its economic state, as well as the level of health and education of its population. Developing countries usually have a higher fertility rate due to lack of access to birth control and contraception, and to women usually foregoing a higher education, or even any education at all, in favor of taking care of housework. Many families in poorer countries also need their children to help provide for the family by starting to work early and/or as caretakers for their parents in old age. In developed countries, fertility rates and birth rates are usually much lower, as birth control is easier to obtain and women often choose a career before becoming a mother. Additionally, if the number of women of child-bearing age declines, so does the fertility rate of a country. As can be seen above, countries like Hong Kong are a good example for women leaving the patriarchal structures and focusing on their own career instead of becoming a mother at a young age, causing a decline of the country’s fertility rate. A look at the fertility rate per woman worldwide by income group also shows that women with a low income tend to have more children than those with a high income. The United States are neither among the countries with the lowest, nor among those with the highest fertility rate, by the way. At 2.08 children per woman, the fertility rate in the US has been continuously slightly below the global average of about 2.4 children per woman over the last decade.

Taiwan Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data was reported at 0.870 Person in 2023. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.870 Person for 2022. Taiwan Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.180 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2023, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.790 Person in 1990 and a record low of 0.870 Person in 2023. Taiwan Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Taiwan – Table TW.OECD.GGI: Social: Demography: Non OECD Member: Annual.

Taiwan: Fertility rate, births per woman: Pour cet indicateur, La Banque mondiale fournit des données pour la Taiwan de à . La valeur moyenne pour Taiwan pendant cette période était de births per woman avec un minimum de births per woman en et un maximum de births per woman en .

The demographic indicators of the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan were compiled from (1) the World Bank United Nations (UN) Population Division, World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) UN Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Program. The dataset consists of descriptive demographic statistics of the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and includes the following indicators: (1) total population, (2) population by broad age groups, (3) annual rate of population change, (4) crude birth rate and crude death rate, (5) annual number of births and deaths, (6) total fertility, (7) mortality under age 5, (8) life expectancy at birth by sex, (9) life expectancy at birth (both sexes combined), (10) annual natural change and net migration, (11) population by age and sex: 2101, (12) annual number of deaths per 1,000 population, and (13) annual number of deaths.

In 2024, around 134,860 babies were born in Taiwan. The average annual number of births is expected to stay on a low level and decrease further over the next decades.

Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Fertility Rate: per Woman data was reported at 1.300 NA in 2050. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.290 NA for 2049. Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Fertility Rate: per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.220 NA from Jun 1990 (Median) to 2050, with 61 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.810 NA in 1990 and a record low of 0.900 NA in 2010. Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Fertility Rate: per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Taiwan – Table TW.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women had the highest fertility rate of any ethnicity in the United States in 2022, with about 2,237.5 births per 1,000 women. The fertility rate for all ethnicities in the U.S. was 1,656.5 births per 1,000 women. What is the total fertility rate? The total fertility rate is an estimation of the number of children who would theoretically be born per 1,000 women through their childbearing years (generally considered to be between the ages of 15 and 44) according to age-specific fertility rates. The fertility rate is different from the birth rate, in that the birth rate is the number of births in relation to the population over a specific period of time. Fertility rates around the world Fertility rates around the world differ on a country-by-country basis, and more industrialized countries tend to see lower fertility rates. For example, Niger topped the list of the countries with the highest fertility rates, and Taiwan had the lowest fertility rate.

1998–2017 trend of basic population data regarding assisted reproductive technology use in Taiwan.

The total population in Taiwan was estimated at 23.4 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Taiwan Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The fertility rates have fallen in all five Nordic countries over the last years. However, in 2021, the birth rates increased again in all five Nordics countries, besides in Sweden, where the fertility rate stayed the same. This can be explained by the higher number of babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Iceland had the highest fertility rate of the Nordic countries, with 1.6 children born per woman in reproductive age. The global trend of decreasing fertility The Nordics are not the only region with decreasing fertility rates. Globally, fertility rates have been on a steady decline since 2000. While lower-income countries have had more significant declines, they still have more children born per woman than higher-income countries. In 2000, almost 6 children were born per woman in low-income countries, decreasing to 4.62 in 2021. By comparison, nearly 1.71 children were born per woman in high-income countries, falling slightly to 1.55 by 2021. Overall, in 2023, Niger, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo had the highest fertility rates, while Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore had the lowest fertility rates. Impacts of low fertility Greater access to education, challenges between work-life balance, and the costs of raising children can all be linked to falling fertility rates. However, this decline is not without consequences, and many countries are facing social and economic challenges because of aging and shrinking populations. For example, in Japan, where nearly 30 percent of the country is aged 65 or older, an increasing proportion of the government expenditure is going towards social security benefits. Moreover, the very low unemployment rate in Japan can partially be attributed to having a shrinking labor force and fewer people to support the economy.

Estimated changes in rate of ART use and rate of births by ART following 2007 Artificial Reproduction Act based on an interrupted time series design and segmented regression models.

The health and survival of women and their new-born babies in low income countries is a key public health priority, but basic and consistent subnational data on the number of live births to support decision making has been lacking. WorldPop integrates small area data on the distribution of women of childbearing age and age-specific fertility rates to map the estimated distributions of births for each 1x1km grid square across all low and middle income countries. Further details on the methods can be found in Tatem et al. and James et al..
Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton). 2018. Taiwan 1km Births. Version 1.0 2015 estimates of numbers of live births per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN national estimates on numbers of live births (http://esa.un.org/wpp/). DOI: 10.5258/SOTON/WP00581

Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Under 5 per 1000 Births data was reported at 3.700 NA in 2050. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.800 NA for 2049. Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Under 5 per 1000 Births data is updated yearly, averaging 5.000 NA from Jun 1990 (Median) to 2050, with 61 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.500 NA in 1990 and a record low of 3.700 NA in 2050. Taiwan TW: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Under 5 per 1000 Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Taiwan – Table TW.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

In 2024, the share of the population in Taiwan aged 65 and older accounted for approximately 19.2 percent of the total population. While the share of old people on the island increased gradually over recent years, the percentage of the working-age population and the children have both declined. Taiwan’s aging population With one of the lowest fertility rates in the world and a steadily growing life expectancy, the average age of Taiwan’s population is increasing quickly, and the share of people aged 65 and above is expected to reach around 38.4 percent of the total population in 2050. This development is also reflected in Taiwan’s population pyramid, which shows that the size of the youngest age group is only half of the size of age groups between 40 and 60 years. The rapid aging of the populations puts a heavy burden on the social insurance system. Old-age dependency is expected to reach more than 70 percent by 2050, meaning that by then three people of working age will have to support two elders, compared to only one elder supported by four working people today. Aging societies in East Asia Today, many countries in East Asia have very low fertility rates and face the challenges of aging societies. This is especially true among those countries that experienced high economic growth in the past, which often resulted in quickly receding birth rates. Japan was one of the first East Asian countries witnessing this demographic change, as is reflected in its high median age. South Korea had the lowest fertility rate of all Asian countries in recent years, and with China, one of the largest populations on earth joined the ranks of quickly aging societies.