Taiwan records lowest population growth rate since record keeping began

台灣自有紀錄保存以來，人口總增加率創新低

The population only grew slightly by 0.133 percent since last year


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- According to data released by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) on Saturday, Jan. 27, the population of Taiwan only grew by 0.133 percent from the year 2016 to 2017, reaching a total of 23,571 million people.

The MOI report showed that newly registered residents only grew by 31,000 over the year of 2017, which is a mere 0.133 percent growth, the lowest population growth in the history of Taiwan since the nation started keeping statistical records, reports CNA.

The annual recorded growth has constantly been on decline since 1984, recorded growth that year was 1.483 percent and since then it has dropped to 0.133 percent as the most recent data has shown.

According to the National Development Council's prediction, the population of Taiwan will peak in the year 2024 with a population standing at 23,741 million, but will become stagnant and begin declining in the following years, reports CNA.

Once Taiwan reaches a "super-aged" phase, the population will begin to decline considerably to somewhere between 17 million to 19.49 million in the latter half of the 21st century.

The data reveals that New Taipei City is still the most populous urban area with a population of 3.98 million. Taichung City takes the second place with 2.78 million, followed by Kaohsiung City with 2.77 million people registered as residents.

Taipei City, which is home to 2.68 million people, saw a decline in its population by 0.462 percent.

Taiwan currently has one of the world's lowest birth rates.