"Two Years of Rebound, What's the Secret?"... Taiwan Follows Korea's Lead in Tackling Low Birthrate

The Premier of Taiwan has identified the low birth rate as a national security issue, stating that "Taiwan must raise its fertility rate like South Korea."

Photo of a baby to aid in article comprehension.

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According to Yonhap News Agency, citing local media outlets such as United Daily News and Economic Daily News on April 29, Premier Cho Jung-tai made this statement during a government interpellation session at the Legislative Yuan (parliament) on April 28. Taiwan has already entered a super-aged society, with 20% of its total population aged 65 or older. Last year, its total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime) hit a record low of 0.695.

When an opposition lawmaker pointed out that "the number of newborns this year could fall below 100,000," Premier Cho responded, "The government is doing its utmost to keep the number above 100,000," and added, "These efforts will yield results in one to two years."

He was then urged to "learn from South Korea’s experience, as the country has seen a significant rebound in its birth rate over the past two years despite facing a serious low birth rate problem." Premier Cho replied, "We already consider South Korea a very important case to observe." He further stated, "There must be clear factors behind South Korea’s rebound in total fertility rate," and explained, "Based on the Korean case, we have established plans to provide subsidies to young families and offer flexible childcare hours."

Taiwan's population peaked at around 23.6 million in 2019 before beginning to decline. In September last year, Taiwanese authorities introduced "three major childbirth support measures" to address the low birth rate. These include expanded childbirth incentives, increased subsidies for in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, and a pilot program to support the cost of egg preservation for infertility treatment. IVF subsidies are provided up to six times for women aged 39 and under, and up to three times for women aged 39 to 45. Support measures have also been expanded across five areas: pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, housing, and employment. A pilot program for flexible, unpaid parental leave is also underway.

In South Korea, the number of births last year was about 255,000, an increase of 16,000 from the previous year, marking the steepest rise since 2010. The total fertility rate, which had fallen from 1.24 in 2015 to 0.72 in 2023, rebounded to 0.75 in 2024 and 0.80 in 2025. According to statistics from February this year, the number of births has increased for 20 consecutive months since July 2024, and the total fertility rate reached 0.93.

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Kim Jino, the new Vice Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Low Fertility and Aging Society, who took office on April 17, emphasized, "We must not become complacent with a brief rebound," and added, "We will do our best to find the optimal solutions during the golden window of the next three to four years and present them to the public."

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