WHEN STORKS STAY AWAY: Taiwan

Govt raises childcare subsidies but high costs still a barrier

Taiwan and South Korea are facing a baby crisis as fertility rates hit historic lows and population numbers plunged for the first time last year. Straits Times correspondents look at why the storks are not visiting and what the governments are doing about it.

Ms Yen Tzu-hsin, 30, with her husband Jerry Kao, 31, and their children - five-year-old Emma and two-year-old Eddie. Ms Yen said support from her and her husband's parents helps them cope with the high costs of raising children, adding: "If not for f
Ms Yen Tzu-hsin, 30, with her husband Jerry Kao, 31, and their children - five-year-old Emma and two-year-old Eddie. Ms Yen said support from her and her husband's parents helps them cope with the high costs of raising children, adding: "If not for familial support, we would rather not have kids." PHOTO: COURTESY OF YEN TZU-HSIN
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Taiwan's population fell for the first time on record last year, as it continues its inexorable march towards an ageing society. The island recorded 165,249 births and 173,156 deaths last year, the Interior Ministry said last month.

The government, which has long tried to arrest the problem, has raised childcare subsidies in the hope of getting young couples to have more children, but Taiwanese say the incentives are insufficient.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 22, 2021, with the headline Govt raises childcare subsidies but high costs still a barrier. Subscribe