There were more deaths than births in Taiwan for the 22nd consecutive month, according to new government data for October.

More troubling for policymakers than the sheer drop in population , however, is the island's steady march toward what the United Nations classifies as a “super-aged society ,” where people aged 65 and older make up at least 20 percent of the population.

Why It Matters

Birth rates are falling across many high- and middle-income countries as younger generations delay or opt out of having children amid rising living costs and shifting attitudes toward family life.

Taiwan now has one of the world’s lowest birth rates , raising concerns over the economic impact as a dwindling number of working-age people are left to care for a rapidly growing elderly population.

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