Taiwan reaches threshold of 'aged society'

TAIPEI - Taiwan is no longer just "aging," but already an "aged society," according to the island's interior affairs authority.

Taiwan's aging rate, or the ratio of people aged 65 and above to the entire population, stood at 14.05 percent as of March, with the highest rate of 18.61 percent recorded in Chiayi county.

The labels of aging, aged, and super-aged societies refer to those with an aging rate above 7 percent, 14 percent, and 20 percent, respectively.

The authority said Taiwan's aging rate hit 7 percent in 1993 and is expected to reach 20 percent in the next eight years.

The number of people aged 65 and above exceeded those under 14 in February 2017 for the first time.