According to a report published by Taiwan's education authorities, a low fertility rate will cause the island to lose 2,900 freshman annually on average during the next 16 years.
By 2025, there will be less than 200,000 freshmen, and by 2028, there will be only 177,000, predicts Xinhua news agency. By 2037, it is predicted that the number would still be about 177,000. The analysis predicts that by 2037, there would be 847,000 fewer university students overall, a decline of 8,700 on average each year.
In 2021, the total number of university students on the island was less than one million. According to the education authorities, roughly seven private universities on the island have shut in recent years, affecting 2,400 students and bearing the brunt of the fall in the number of university students.
According to statistics, Taiwan's population has dropped significantly over the two years since 2020.
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