Photo: Taipei TimesIf the working-age population is narrowed down to the “sandwich generation,” the stress level becomes even higher, and the elderly dependency ratio (ratio of the elderly population to the working-age population) of 37.86 percent in Taipei is the highest in the country. Across counties and cities, Taipei is the only one with a dependency ratio more than 50 percent. Following closely behind Taipei, the dependency ratio in Nantou County is 48.7 percent, while that in Chiayi County is 47.87 percent. Using statistics from 1956 as an example, the country’s youth dependency ratio was 85.53 percent, while the elderly dependency ratio was only 5.05 percent, so the aging index was about 5.9 percent. However, statistics from last year showed the country’s youth dependency ratio dropped to 16.83 percent, while the elderly dependency ratio increased to 29.31 percent, and the aging index increased to a record high of 174.24 percent.

Source: Taipei Times February 28, 2026 18:00 UTC