Taiwan will enter the super-aged era in 2026, the government predicts. Taiwan will enter the super-aged era in 2026, the government predicts. (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - By 2026, Taiwan will become a super-aged society where at least 20 percent of the population are 65 or older, the National Development Council said Tuesday.

The island nation only entered the “aged society” era last year by recording 10 percent of aged people, the Liberty Times reported.

Looking even further away, the group of people 65 or older will take up 40 percent of the population around the year 2065, which means there will be one elderly person for each 1.2 person of childbearing age, a proportion which stood at one to five just last year.

Taiwan’s evolution looked similar to the situation in Singapore and South Korea, though the aging process ran faster than in Japan, which would still need 11 years before it reached the super-aged phase, the Liberty Times reported. The United States would only enter that period 15 years from now, France 29 years and Great Britain 51 years into the future, according to official data.

Depending on various scenarios, zero population growth was likely to occur in Taiwan either around next year or in 2027. The island’s total population figure would start to decline before it reached 24 million, according to the report.