Countries with leading economic development have lower fertility rates, but you may not have guessed that the five countries with the lowest fertility rates are all in Asia, and these countries face an aging population. Every woman in Taiwan has 1.07 births, and Niger is almost 6.5 times that.
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Taipei, Taiwan (Business Northeast) – Many countries are facing the problem of aging populations. Many developed countries use various policies to reward couples for giving birth. According to the CIA’s total fertility rate assessment data, the five countries (regions) with the lowest fertility rates are all in Asia, and Niger has the highest fertility rate in the world.
The level of fertility affects the country’s long-term development, and most developed countries face the problem of population aging. The COVID-19 epidemic seems to have also affected the fertility plans of some couples. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), it estimates the fertility rate in 2021 for 227 countries or regions.Statistics show that the five countries with the highest estimated fertility rates are Niger, Angola, Congo, Mali, and Chad. The five lowest countries (regions) are all located in Asia, including Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Macau, and Hong Kong.
The data estimates that Taiwan’s fertility rate is estimated to be 1.07 children per woman in 2021, making it the lowest fertility rate in the world. The fertility rate is the average number of children born to each woman of childbearing age in a country. Women between the ages of 15 and 45 are considered to be of childbearing age. The fertility rate of a country affects the country’s economic status, and it is also one of the keys to the health and education of the population.
| Rank | Country | children born/woman |
| 1 | Taiwan | 1.07 |
| 2 | Koea | 1.09 |
| 3 | Singapore | 1.15 |
| 4 | Macau | 1.21 |
| 5 | Hong Kong | 1.22 |
| 6 | Puerto Rico | 1.23 |
| 7 | Montserrat | 1.31 |
| 8 | British Virgin Islands | 1.34 |
| 9 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.35 |
| 10 | Japan | 1.38 |
Taiwan’s control of coronavirus pandemic is good, but the fertility rate continues to fall. According to statistics from Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior, the number of newborns in Taiwan last year was only 165,249, a record low, and the number of deaths exceeded the number of births for the first time. The number of births in the first quarter of this year was 34,917, a year-on-year decrease of 13.6%. The death toll was 12,709 more than births. The natural population growth this year has shown negative growth for three consecutive months. Experts say that if the birth rate continues to drop, it may hinder economic growth, and it will be challenging to support a social security network.
The Taiwan government has promoted many maternity subsidy policies for many years. The subsidies in Taipei City include maternity pension, childcare allowance, daycare subsidy, and tuition fees. The total amount of subsidies exceeds NT$600,000. The government is actively creating Public preschool, parent-child centers and implementing a parental leave policy, hoping to increase women’s willingness to give birth. Many governments have also promoted many subsidy policies to reverse the downward trend in the birth rate.
The study found that fertility and birth rates in developed countries are generally much lower because women know about birth control and usually choose occupations before becoming mothers. Many women in Taiwan have to go to work during the day and have to deal with housework when they go home at night. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to increase the number of births in general.
