TAIPEI (CNA) -- Taiwan's aging index reached 105.7 at the end of Dec. 2017, continuing the trend of the nation having more seniors than young people, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of the Interior Saturday.



At 105.7, the aging index, which measures the number of people aged 65 and over for every 100 people under the age of 15, indicates Taiwan has 3.26 million people 65 and over, representing 13.86 percent of Taiwan's total population, against 3.09 million people under the age of 15, or 13.12 percent of the total.



According to the MOI, an aging index over 100 means there are more seniors than young people. The index first passed the 100-mark in Feb. 2017.



The MOI Department of Statistics found that of Taiwan's 22 cities and counties, the three counties in which seniors account for the highest percentage of the population remain Chiayi County at 18.46 percent, Yunlin County at 17.55 percent and Nantou County at 16.52 percent, all slightly up from Sep. 2017.



At this rate, it is highly likely that people aged 65 and over will make up 20 percent of the total population by 2026, which would make Taiwan a "hyper-aged" society, it estimated.