Page 30 - 2022 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

Chapter 5 International Comparisons
▏Section 1 Life Expectancy
In Taiwan, life expectancy at birth in 2020 was 81.3 years. If ranked among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member states, Taiwan would have been 20th. Taiwan's life expectancy was lower than the OECD median of 81.4 years. Male life expectancy at birth in OECD member states was higher in Japan, Norway, and Iceland at 81.6 years; in Taiwan, male life expectancy was 78.1 years. Female life expectancy at birth was highest in Japan at 87.7 years; in Taiwan, female life expectancy was 84.7 years (Table 2-3).
▏Section 2 Rate of Natural Increase
The rate of natural increase in Taiwan in 2021 was -1.28‰, ranking 21st among OECD member states and lower than the OECD median of 0‰. Due to the recent tendency toward late marriage and delayed childbearing, Taiwan's total fertility rate (the average number of live births for a woman over her lifetime) has been decreasing and reached 1.00 in 2021, compared to other OCED members, Taiwan's fertility rate is only higher than South Korea. This rate in all OECD member states, excluding Israel and Mexico, was lower than the replacement level of 2.1. For the same period, Taiwan's crude birth rate was 6.6‰ and the death rate was 7.8‰, ranking 34th and 25th among OECD member states, respectively and lower than the respective OECD medians of 10‰ and 10‰. Generally, demographic structures in OECD member states were trending toward low birth rates (Table 2-4).
▏Section 3 Dependency Ratio
In terms of dependency ratio among the OECD member countries, Japan ranked top at 68 in 2021, followed by Israel at 66. Our dependency ratio was at 41 and placed only higher than South Korea compared to other OECD member countries.
In 2021, the old-age dependency ratio (population aged 65 and above/population aged 15-64 × 100) in Taiwan was 24. If ranked among OECD member states, Taiwan would have been 29th. Taiwan's old-age dependency ratio was higher than that in Luxembourg, Israel, Republic of Korea, Türkiye, Mexico, Slovakia, Chile, Austria and Australia. There was 1 elderly person per 4.2 young and mid-year population in Taiwan. The aging index (population aged 65 and above/ population aged 0-14 × 100) of Taiwan was 136. If ranked among OECD member states, Taiwan would have been 10th. In comparison to OECD member states, the ratio of elderly people in Taiwan was not high, whereas its ratio of population aged 0-14 years old was slightly lower. As a result, the aging index of Taiwan was higher than most OECD member states (Table 2-5).
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