Southeast Taiwan town offers NT$120,000 per newborn as population plummets

臺灣東南部因應人口驟減每名新生兒提供新台幣 12 萬元

Fuli now has fewer than 10,000 people, prompting increased government incentives


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following years of population decline, the township of Fuli at the southern end of Hualien County now has less than 10,000 people, prompting increased government incentives to entice people to live there.

According to county officials, in addition to Fuli village's spectacular scenery of sprawling rice paddies, mountains, and rivers, there is also a more tangible incentive on offer. A maximum of NT$120,000 (US$3900) is to be paid to the mothers of children born there, per CNA.

Women registered for the subsidies in Fuli will receive an NT$80,000 subsidy for giving birth, in addition to NT$20,000 for nutrition, and the NT$20,000 paid to all in the wider Hualien area for childbirth. Fuli's acting mayor, Chiang Tung-cheng (江東成) said on Tuesday (May 16) that in the last six months of 2022, 23 people applied for the subsidies and 35 children were born.

Chiang said it is expected this year the number of newborns in Fuli will be between 80 and 85. He thanked the local people for working to serve the country, and encouraged all to move their household registration to Fuli to help the population grow.

Fuli is known for its rice production, and sculptures made from rice straw left over from harvests. The town is about a two hour drive or train ride from Hualien City, about a four hour drive from Kaohsiung International Airport, and about five hours from Taoyuan International.

Taiwan began to steadily urbanize after the 1950s, with most estimates suggesting the current rate of urbanization is between 70 and 80 percent.

Despite that, Taiwan's capital city is also experiencing a population decline, and is offering increased subsidies for childbirth. Taipei's high property prices combined with nation-wide low wages, and the relative affordability of nearby New Taipei City and Taoyuan, is causing people to move away from the city.

The whole of Taiwan also saw a record population decrease in 2022, dropping by 110,674 people to 23,264,640 in total.