The UCLA Taiwan in the World lecture series aims to promote Taiwan studies and disseminate knowledge about Taiwan in a global context and shed light on Taiwan’s political economy, international relations, and US-Taiwan-China relations, as well as Taiwan’s society, political system, social structure, and institutions. This series is organized by Taiwan in the World postdoctoral fellows Shih-chan Dai and Kevin Luo.
An aging population has become a serious issue for many societies, with the US included. Based on the estimates of demographic trends, it is predicted that the US will become a super-aged country with more than 1 in 5 people being aged 65 or older in 2030. In comparison to the US, Taiwan is projected to move from an aging society to a super-aged one by 2026 because of decreasing birth rates. Given this future demographic development, it may have significant consequences for the whole society in various aspects such as the labor force and healthcare systems. In this lecture, Pei-Shan Yang will present insights into the issues and challenges Taiwan faces with its aging population. Furthermore, Yang will discuss the existing and potential solutions the government can adopt to address Taiwan's rapidly aging population.