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By Micah McCartney
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Taiwan's birthrate has fallen so far that the island now has more than half a million more pets than young children, according to a recent analysis, underscoring the scale of a demographic crisis that President Lai Ching-te has described as a national security issue.
There were roughly 3.2 million pet cats and dogs in Taiwan in 2025, compared with just 2.68 million children aged 14 and under, according to an analysis by New Taipei City-based real estate brokerage Sinyi Realty based on government statistics.
The findings reflect a trend playing out across much of the world. Roughly two-thirds of the global population now lives in countries or regions where fertility rates have fallen below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain population levels without immigration, according to the United Nations.
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Policymakers increasingly worry about the economic impact as growing elderly populations place pressure on pensions, healthcare systems, and social safety nets, even as the pool of working-age adults shrinks.
The decline has been particularly stark in Taiwan.
Last year, the island overtook South Korea as the world's lowest-fertility society, with the total fertility rate plunging to just 0.695 from 0.885 in 2024. Taiwan recorded only about 107,000 births during the year, roughly a quarter of the annual births seen in the 1960s.
Newsweek reached out to Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare via email for comment.
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The Fur Baby Generation
Out of Taiwan's 22 counties and special municipalities, only seven still have slightly more children than dogs and cats. Nowhere is the trend more evident than in New Taipei City.
Taiwan's most populous municipality is home to approximately 597,000 dogs and cats, exceeding the population aged 14 and under by roughly 162,000.
The gap is partly the result of rapid development in New Taipei's rezoning districts and the migration of residents priced out of neighboring Taipei, Taiwan's capital, the Commercial Times cited Sinyi Realty Executive Vice President Wang Jianwei as saying.
Faced with soaring housing costs, shrinking living space, and the financial burden of raising children, many younger Taiwanese are delaying parenthood or choosing not to have children altogether while turning to pets for companionship.
The trend is increasingly reshaping consumer behavior and housing preferences.
"National Security Issue"
Taiwan's leaders have increasingly framed the birthrate crisis as more than a social challenge.
In May, Lai described it as a "national security issue" and unveiled a sweeping package of family support measures aimed at encouraging child-rearing, including a monthly subsidy of roughly $150 per child under 18.
Demographers, however, warn that cash handouts and other incentives are unlikely to reverse the trend unless they are paired with deeper structural reforms, pointing to long working hours, high housing costs and rising living expenses in countries such as South Korea, China, and Japan, which continue to grapple with plunging birth rates despite years of pronatalist policies.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Feng and Sam Wilson.
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