《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taipei’s population falls below 2.5m after brief rebound

By Tsai Si-pei and Shelley Shan / Staff reporters

Taipei’s population dropped below 2.5 million in September, with people aged 30 to 50 making up the largest group leaving the capital, Taipei City Government data showed.

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The number of registered residents in Taipei rebounded to 2.5 million in May last year before rising to 2.51 million in December last year, the data showed.

However, that figure fell to 2,498,210 by September, and as of last month, Taipei had 2,493,210 registered residents.

Among those who have moved out of the city, 8,987 were aged 20 to 30, 13,982 were aged 30 to 40, 15,647 were aged 40 to 50 and 9,649 were aged 50 to 60, the data showed.

Taipei Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Chen Yung-te （陳永德） said the city has been losing about 2,000 to 3,000 residents to other cities every month this year due to the high cost of living and housing prices.

“Most of the people leaving move to areas near MRT lines or the high-speed rail system, with 80 percent moving to New Taipei City and 20 percent to Taoyuan,” he said.

People leaving Taipei’s Wanhua District （萬華） mostly move to New Taipei City’s Banciao District （板橋）, while those in Taipei’s Nangang District （南港） move to New Taipei City’s Sijhih District （汐止）, he said.

Moving to New Taipei City reduces housing prices without adding too much extra time to commutes, he said.

The drop in registered residents was most apparent in 2022. Daan District （大安） had the smallest population decrease that year, followed by Shihlin （士林） and Beitou （北投） districts, department data showed.

Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-cheng （陳宥丞） of the Taiwan People’s Party, who represents constituents in Neihu （內湖） and Nangang districts, said that married couples likely left because they cannot afford to buy houses in Taipei.

Chen, who grew up in Taipei, said that few of his classmates stayed in Neihu, with most of them moving to New Taipei City’s Linkou District （林口） or Taoyuan because of Taipei’s high housing prices.

“Amid a population drain, who would want to live here? Who would stay behind to take care of elderly residents? Taipei could soon become a city where people only come to work during the day, and turn into a deserted town at night,” he said.

The population decline could also affect the number of city council seats a district has.

Taipei City Councilor Tseng Hsien-ying （曾獻瑩） said that no additional seats would be added to represent residents of Nangang and Neihu districts due to a continual decline of residents.

Aside from offering subsidies to renters, the Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs said that it is planning to introduce policies to increase the city’s population, such as encouraging and assisting renters in making Taipei their registered residence, increasing rental properties available for younger people and helping older residents find rental units.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES