New figures show Taiwan society is aging quickly

新調查顯示台灣社會正快速高齡化

It is officially an aged society and is set to become a super-aged society by 2026, when the senior population exceeds 20% TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The percentage of Taiwan’s population aged 65 or more now stands at 15 percent in 15 of the country’s municipalities, with fewer births than deaths recorded island-wide this year. The latest Ministry of the Interior statistics indicate the 15 municipalities where people aged 65 and over account for more than 15 percent of the total population include: Taipei City, Tainan City, and Kaohsiung City, wrote UDN. The aging population is particularly acute in Chiayi County, where nearly 20 percent of residents are 65 or more. According to WHO, a nation is defined as an aged society when 14 percent of its population is over the age of 65. It becomes a super-aged society when the senior population exceeds 20 percent. As of July, Taiwan has a population of 23.59 million. The number of people aged 65 or more stands at 35.2 million, comprising 14.9 percent of the total. The National Development Council has said Taiwan is poised to enter the super-aged era by 2026, wrote UDN Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) announced last week the government has pledged NT$40 billion next year in long-term care, representing an eightfold increase from 2016. Measures including tax cuts will also be implemented to help relieve the burden of care for the country’s elderly, reported Central News Agency.
Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2019-09-09