Government to offer extra NT$20,000 per Taipei City-born child

台北市出生兒童政府額外補助每人新台幣2萬元

Maximum of NT$50,000 for additional births to combat population decrease


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei City will pay an extra NT$20,000 (US$653) on top of existing “childbirth bonuses,” which are already in the tens of thousands, to new parents who give birth in the city.

The announcement follows news that the population of Taipei City did not exceed the 2.5 million mark as expected, falling short by about 10,000 people. The Taipei City population dipped under 2.5 million in March 2022 for the first time since 1984.

According to CNA, Taipei City Civil Affairs Director Chen Yong-te (陳永德) noted that from April 4 new parents will receive NT$40,000 for the first child born, NT$45,000 for the second, and NT$50,000 for the third. Each of these figures represents a NT$20,000 increase from the amount currently granted for respective births in Taipei City.

Taipei’s population was expected to return to 2.5 million by late February or early March. Chen told media today that despite not reaching that figure within the predicted timeframe, the population is on track to exceed the 2.5 million mark by around the end of the month.

Taipei’s high property prices, relatively low wages, and the relative affordability of nearby New Taipei and Taoyuan are causing people to move away from the city. Not limited to only Taipei, Taiwan itself saw a record population decrease in 2022, dropping by 110,674 people to 23,264,640 in total.

The sweetened incentives follow National Development Council predictions that Taiwan’s birthrate may be the lowest in the world by 2035.