TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's escalating housing prices and rising living costs have discouraged many young adults from marriage and parenthood, exacerbating the country's declining birthrate. In response, the government has introduced policies like social housing and birth subsidies to encourage childbirth.
In 2023, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI, 內政部) reported a record low of 135,571 newborns. In the first seven months of 2024, births totaled 74,298, reflecting a decrease of 2,621 compared to the same period last year.
Taipei’s population, which exceeded 2.5 million in May 2023, dipped below that number by September 2024. To attract and retain young families, Taipei has introduced the "Happy Housing" (幸福住宅) initiative.
The project will offer 156 rental units to families married within the last two years or those with children aged 0 to 6. Applications open in late October, and move-ins are scheduled by the end of the year.
Yang Wen-shan (楊文山), an adjunct research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of Sociology (中研院社會學研究所), noted higher birthrates among residents of social housing in Taipei. “Young couples living there are more likely to have one or two children,” he explained.
Eligible families can apply for units with rents set below 70% of market rates and lease terms extended to 12 years. “Access to affordable housing increases the likelihood of having a second child by 50%,” Yang emphasized.
Local community groups stress that public childcare services are crucial for family growth. Childcare Policy Alliance spokeswoman Huang Chiao-ling (黃喬鈴) pointed out, “We would question whether social housing includes public childcare facilities or whether there are daycare centers nearby.”
Despite government efforts to address the declining birthrate, many challenges remain, such as a shortage of childcare workers, higher living costs, and stagnant wages.