TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A Chiayi City Council member raised concerns on Wednesday (Nov. 15) about the low willingness of Chiayi residents to marry, which is allegedly contributing to the city's declining birthrate.
This reluctance to marry in Chiayi is the highest among Taiwanese cities, according to a 2018 survey of over 8,000 Taiwanese netizens, according to Chiayi City Councilor Cheng Kuang-hung.
Cheng highlighted that the number of newborns in Chiayi has been consistently decreasing over the past decade. Data from the Household Registration Department shows a significant drop in births: from 2,100 newborns in 2014 to just 845 by September 2023.
As of 2023, over half of Chiayi's population aged 25-44 remains unmarried, at 52.52%. This includes 58.86% of men and 46.37% of women in this age group.
Cheng suggested that the government should shift its focus from post-marriage childbirth subsidies and childcare support to policies that encourage early marriage and childbirth. This realignment aims to reverse the plummeting birthrate.
Similarly, Academia Sinica has recommended promoting marriage and childbearing at younger ages as a solution to the falling birth rates.
The Executive Yuan established an office in 2018 specifically to address declining birthrates and has invested over NT$40 billion in related initiatives in recent years.