Taiwan’s Birth Rate Sinks to Alarming Low as Pampered Pets Replace Babies by Nicola Smith

Taiwan’s Birth Rate Sinks to Alarming Low as Pampered Pets Replace Babies

(Link): Taiwan’s birth rate sinks to alarming low as pampered pets replace babies

Excerpts:

by Nicola Smith
Feb 22, 2022

…Taiwan has long lived with the terrifying prospect of invasion by neighbouring China, but one of the biggest threats to its economic security and prosperity of its society lies from within – the lowest birth rates in the world.

…As young people struggle with low wages, unaffordable house prices and work pressures that create an unfriendly environment for families, a visible sign of the reluctance to have children is the stark rise in pet ownership.

In September 2020, analysts estimated the number of domestic pets – about 3 million – had surpassed the number of children under the age of 15. The sale of pet accessories had a parallel boom, and now on the streets of Taipei, prams are often more likely carry dogs than babies.