Taipei: Taiwan's population has declined for the 18th consecutive month as of the end of June, according to data released by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). This persistent trend underscores the challenges the nation faces in reversing its demographic decline.

According to Focus Taiwan, a total of 8,968 babies were born in June, marking a slight increase of 535 from May. This recent uptick ends a three-month streak of declining birth rates, which saw record lows of 8,684 in April and 8,433 in May. Despite this increase, the data represents an annual crude birth rate of just 4.67 per 1,000 people. In the first half of 2025, 55,375 babies were born, a significant decrease from the 63,874 births recorded in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the country reported 16,554 deaths in June, translating to approximately one death every 2.6 minutes. This figure is 1,172 higher than in May and 1,632 more than reported in June 2024. The crude death rate for June stood at 8.63 per 1,000 people, resulting in a natural population decrease of 7,586 for the month.

Additionally, Taiwan recorded a net migration loss of 1,143 people in June. The MOI data showed 71,834 people immigrated to Taiwan, while 72,977 emigrated. When combined with the natural population decrease, Taiwan's total population fell by 8,729 from the previous month. By the end of June, the population was 23,346,741, representing a decrease of 66,158 from the same period last year, equating to an average daily decline of 181.25 people.

The outlying counties of Kinmen and the Matsu islands Lienchiang County experienced the steepest year-on-year population declines, with decreases of 2.73 percent and 2.61 percent, respectively, followed by Taipei with a 2.11 percent decline.

Demographic statistics reveal that individuals aged 0-14 comprise 11.63 percent of the population, while those aged 15-64 make up 68.78 percent. The population aged 65 and older totaled 4,573,453, or 19.59 percent, pushing Taiwan closer to becoming a "super-aged society," a designation by the United Nations for societies where at least 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or older. Taipei City has the highest proportion of residents aged 65 and older at 23.61 percent, while Hsinchu County has the lowest at 14.76 percent.