Taipei Population Continues to Decline; Civil Affairs Dept: Prelim Estimates Show Monthly Losses
Taipei City's population continues to shrink, losing about 1 to 2 boroughs' worth of residents monthly, amounting to a loss equivalent to Da'an District's population over the past decade. The Civil Affairs Department attributes this to high housing costs and the convenience of the Greater Taipei transit network causing urban spillover.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:27
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 19:32 (4 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 20:51 (1h 19m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Liu Chien-pang, Taipei, 23rd) Taipei City's population continues to decline. DPP city councilors found that the number of people who moved out over the past 10 years roughly equals the total population of Da'an District. Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Chen Yung-te responded during a city council committee inquiry today that Taipei's population is dropping every month, with preliminary estimates showing a loss of about 1 to 2 boroughs' worth of people monthly.
According to city government statistics, the total population of Da'an District in March this year was over 280,000. As for the population of a single borough in Taipei, the city has over 2.43 million people across 456 boroughs, averaging about 5,328 people per borough.
The Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs and other units attended the Taipei City Council Civil Affairs Committee today to report and take inquiries. Both KMT and DPP councilors expressed concern over the city government's population policy. One councilor mentioned that Taipei has lost about one Da'an District's worth of population in the past 10 years, to which Chen Yung-te responded that the situation is indeed as the councilor stated.
Chen Yung-te said that in response to population loss, the city government has established a Population Countermeasures Committee. However, resolving population policy requires cross-departmental cooperation from the Department of Social Welfare, Department of Education, and others. Placing the sole responsibility for population policy on the Department of Civil Affairs is truly a heavy burden.
Chen Yung-te stated that the birth rate across Taiwan is actually declining, but other counties and cities haven't experienced the "Taipei Exodus" phenomenon. After compiling Taipei's monthly household registration numbers, it is true that the population is draining every month, losing almost 1 to 2 boroughs' worth of people each month.
The Department of Civil Affairs provided data after the meeting explaining that the continuous decline in Taipei's births is related to long-term trends, such as long-term low birthrates leading to a decreasing number of women of childbearing age, causing insufficient fertility momentum. Delayed marriages and later childbearing postpone the pace of having children, compressing fertility opportunities. Furthermore, academic surveys show that economic pressure is also one of the important factors affecting fertility.
The Department of Civil Affairs stated that to assist citizens who are willing to marry but lack suitable partners, they are expanding matchmaking activities, proposing strengthened policies to support childcare, and continuing to promote policies like the "Help You Have a Good Pregnancy" project.
Regarding the long-term factors for population out-migration, the Department of Civil Affairs stated that Taipei's housing price-to-income ratio has soared. In the third quarter of 2024 (113th year of the Republic), the ratio was 16.6, far higher than New Taipei City's 14.03, the national average of 10.82, and Taoyuan City's 9.39. Because housing costs, including rent, remain stubbornly high, citizens prioritize purchasing property in neighboring counties and cities like New Taipei and Taoyuan.
In addition, the development of the Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan one-day living circle is becoming increasingly complete, and the advanced rail transit network lowers the barriers to population movement. According to telecom signaling demographic data, the daytime active population in Taipei City is 652,000 more than the nighttime staying population. This is a natural spillover phenomenon of urban development.
The Department of Civil Affairs stated that population spillover does not mean urban development is declining. Taipei City still holds the status of the daytime activity core and industrial hub of the Greater Taipei area, creating immense output value and providing a massive number of job opportunities. (Editor: Hsiao Po-wen) 1150423
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(CNA Reporter Liu Chien-pang, Taipei, 23rd) Taipei City's population continues to decline. DPP city councilors found that the number of people who moved out over the past 10 years roughly equals the total population of Da'an District. Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Chen Yung-te responded during a city council committee inquiry today that Taipei's population is dropping every month, with preliminary estimates showing a loss of about 1 to 2 boroughs' worth of people monthly.
According to city government statistics, the total population of Da'an District in March this year was over 280,000. As for the population of a single borough in Taipei, the city has over 2.43 million people across 456 boroughs, averaging about 5,328 people per borough.
The Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs and other units attended the Taipei City Council Civil Affairs Committee today to report and take inquiries. Both KMT and DPP councilors expressed concern over the city government's population policy. One councilor mentioned that Taipei has lost about one Da'an District's worth of population in the past 10 years, to which Chen Yung-te responded that the situation is indeed as the councilor stated.
Chen Yung-te said that in response to population loss, the city government has established a Population Countermeasures Committee. However, resolving population policy requires cross-departmental cooperation from the Department of Social Welfare, Department of Education, and others. Placing the sole responsibility for population policy on the Department of Civil Affairs is truly a heavy burden.
Chen Yung-te stated that the birth rate across Taiwan is actually declining, but other counties and cities haven't experienced the "Taipei Exodus" phenomenon. After compiling Taipei's monthly household registration numbers, it is true that the population is draining every month, losing almost 1 to 2 boroughs' worth of people each month.
The Department of Civil Affairs provided data after the meeting explaining that the continuous decline in Taipei's births is related to long-term trends, such as long-term low birthrates leading to a decreasing number of women of childbearing age, causing insufficient fertility momentum. Delayed marriages and later childbearing postpone the pace of having children, compressing fertility opportunities. Furthermore, academic surveys show that economic pressure is also one of the important factors affecting fertility.
The Department of Civil Affairs stated that to assist citizens who are willing to marry but lack suitable partners, they are expanding matchmaking activities, proposing strengthened policies to support childcare, and continuing to promote policies like the "Help You Have a Good Pregnancy" project.
Regarding the long-term factors for population out-migration, the Department of Civil Affairs stated that Taipei's housing price-to-income ratio has soared. In the third quarter of 2024 (113th year of the Republic), the ratio was 16.6, far higher than New Taipei City's 14.03, the national average of 10.82, and Taoyuan City's 9.39. Because housing costs, including rent, remain stubbornly high, citizens prioritize purchasing property in neighboring counties and cities like New Taipei and Taoyuan.
In addition, the development of the Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan one-day living circle is becoming increasingly complete, and the advanced rail transit network lowers the barriers to population movement. According to telecom signaling demographic data, the daytime active population in Taipei City is 652,000 more than the nighttime staying population. This is a natural spillover phenomenon of urban development.
The Department of Civil Affairs stated that population spillover does not mean urban development is declining. Taipei City still holds the status of the daytime activity core and industrial hub of the Greater Taipei area, creating immense output value and providing a massive number of job opportunities. (Editor: Hsiao Po-wen) 1150423
Choose to stand with facts. Every sponsorship from you is the power to guard press freedom.
Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.