Taiwan aging population exceeds 20% as Taipei leads demographic shift

Taiwan's population is experiencing a significant demographic shift, with the elderly population (aged 65 and above) now accounting for 20.62% of the total population. According to Ministry of the Interior data from August, there are approximately 4.79 million seniors, which is 1.8 times the number of children aged 0–14.

Taipei City has the highest proportion of elderly residents at 24.76%, while also recording the lowest proportion of working-age citizens (15–64) at 63.56%. Experts suggest high housing prices and convenient public transport in Taipei lead working-age residents to migrate to neighboring New Taipei or Taoyuan in exchange for more living space, resulting in a dual aging phenomenon of both people and housing stock.

In contrast, the Hsinchu region remains the youngest in Taiwan. Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County rank first and second respectively for the highest proportion of children aged 0–14. This demographic trend is attributed to the local technology industry, which attracts young families and working-age professionals to the area.