TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) announced on Thursday (Sept. 19) that the city's newborn numbers have been rising, surpassing deaths since last October.
The mayor made this statement before attending a crisis prevention seminar.
Chiang noted that Taipei has seen a tangible increase in newborns since he took office. He stated that the number of births in 2023 exceeded those in 2022 by over 1,600. Also, births have increased by over 700 from January to August compared to last year.
The mayor emphasized that while most counties and cities nationwide are experiencing a slowdown or decline in newborn numbers, Taipei's increase reflects the effectiveness of the city's child-friendly and pro-birth policies.
Moreover, Chiang stated that the city government convened a committee Wednesday to discuss demographic shift issues with various departments and external experts. The committee aimed to develop corresponding policies to address population trends.
However, the Department of Civil Affairs (民政局) reported that Taipei's overall population has been declining monthly since the beginning of this year. By August, the population had dropped to 2.502 million, with projections suggesting it could fall below 2.5 million by the end of September.
