《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Aging index passes 100-point mark for first time nationwide

By Jake Chung / Staff writer with CNA

The nation’s aging index has exceeded 100 for the first time, highlighting the severity of the aging population problem, the Ministry of the Interior said in a report yesterday.

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The aging index is found by calculating the ratio of people aged 65 or older to people aged 14 or younger.

Before this year, the index has exceeded 100 in three cities and counties in 2011; this year it did so in 15 of them.

The ministry said the index rose 6.68 points from 93.5 in February last year.

The report said that outside the six special municipalities, Chiayi, Nantou and Pingtung counties faced the most severe aging population issue, while Taipei, Tainan and Kaohsiung all exceeded 100.

More than 7 percent of the nation was designated as “aging” in 1993 and the aging trend has grown throughout the years, the ministry said.

In May last year, people 65 or older amounted to 12.78 percent of total population, while last month’s figures showed that rose to 13.33 percent.

The ministry cited last year’s population estimates from the National Development Council and said that elderly people would account for 14 percent of the total population by next year and might exceed 20 percent by 2026, turning Taiwan into a hyper-aged society, like Japan.

Meanwhile, the ministry said it has passed the 10-year long-term care plan, which establishes a long-term care system that would have affordable prices and be communal in nature.

The council said it was working with the ministries of labor, education and health and welfare to create an environment conducive for raising children in a bid to boost birth rates.

The interior ministry said it hopes the measures will help government policies aimed at servicing an aged society.

Interior ministry officials said that it is inviting single women and men to attend matchmaking events sponsored by the ministry.

The interior ministry said it will be holding 12 such events throughout the year, with the registration for the first event starting on March 22 and ending on April 5.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES