It comes after the ministry reported a record low 165,249 births last year, which was lower than the 173,156 deaths recorded last year. The nation experienced negative population growth for the first time last year, ministry data found. Photo: Copied by Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei TimesThe number of births in January also dropped from a year earlier, when there were 12,510 births. The ratio was 110.08 males for every 100 females in 2003 and 110.57:100 in 2004, ministry data showed. Whether the pandemic was the main cause of the decline in births in January could be judged by whether the number of births subsequently rises or falls, Cheng said.

Source: Taipei Times April 05, 2021 15:56 UTC