Taipei: Taiwan's population fell for a 25th consecutive month in January, with the number of live births falling by 304 from December 2025, according to data released Tuesday by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). As of the end of January, Taiwan's population totaled 23,289,045, down 10,087 from December 2025, the data showed.

According to Focus Taiwan, a total of 8,723 babies were born in January, 304 fewer than in December and 772 fewer than a year earlier. This translates to roughly one birth every 5.1 minutes and an annual crude birth rate of 4.41 per 1,000 people, as indicated by MOI data. Deaths totaled 17,529 for the month, or about one every 2.5 minutes, up 79 from December and 2,511 more than in January 2024. The crude death rate was 8.86 per 1,000 people, the data indicated.

The natural population decrease, which is the difference between births and deaths, was recorded at 8,806 in January, according to MOI data. Additionally, the country saw a net migration decrease of 1,281 people in January, with 71,042 people immigrating and 72,323 emigrating.

Demographic data further revealed that individuals aged 0 to 14 accounted for 11.49 percent of the population, totaling 2,675,210, while those aged 15 to 64 made up 68.36 percent, or 15,921,351. The MOI data also highlighted that the population aged 65 and older totaled 4,692,484, representing 20.15 percent of the population. This meets the United Nations' definition of a "super-aged society," where individuals aged 65 and older make up more than 20 percent of the population.

Among local governments, Taipei City had the highest share of residents aged 65 and older at 24.26 percent, whereas Hsinchu County had the lowest at 15.15 percent.