Subsidies alone won’t fix Taiwan’s birth rate drop: Experts

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan is grappling with a declining birth rate, prompting both central and local governments to offer childbirth subsidies. However, experts express concern that these financial incentives provide only temporary relief.

More sustainable measures are needed, experts argue, such as enhancing the childcare infrastructure and fostering a family-friendly workplace. This could include increasing kindergarten spots and revising parental leave policies.

Yunlin County (雲林縣) offers Taiwan's highest one-time subsidy. For 2024 and 2025, parents can receive NT$30,000 for their first three children, with an additional NT$30,000 for postpartum care, totaling NT$60,000 per child. Families having a fourth child are eligible for NT$100,000.

Despite these incentives, Lin Wen-chih, Director of the Social Affairs Department in Yunlin County, noted a mixed response. From January to May 2023, the county registered 1,344 newborns; the figure rose to 2,119 during the same period in 2024, marking a 57.66% increase. However, Taiwan's overall birth registrations fell by 2.88% from the previous year.

Huang Chiao-ling, spokeswoman for the Childcare Policy Alliance, said that subsidies typically advance the timing of planned births rather than increase birth rates. Effective policies, she suggests, would facilitate the balance of work and family life and make parental leave more accessible.

"For parents, the reality of juggling work and family life often requires leave that can be counted in days or even hours," said Huang.

Addressing these issues, such as increasing public kindergarten availability, reducing childcare costs, and revising parental leave policies, is critical for revitalizing Taiwan's birth rates.