高齡醫學暨健康福祉研究中心統計年報

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About reports (2024)

Demographics

This chapter presents indicators related to population characteristics, including population distribution, marital status, education attainment, and the distribution of Indigenous and veteran populations.
The population aged 65 years and older in Taiwan increased rapidly from 267,838 people in 1960 to 3,787,315 people in 2020. The older population is estimated to reach 4,864,024 people and will account for 20.9% of the total population by 2026. Thus, Taiwan will transition into a super-aged society. The older population is expected to further increase to 5,568,820 people by 2030. This forecast highlights the severity of population aging.
By the end of 2024, the five counties and cities in Taiwan with the highest percentages of the population aged 65 years and older were Chiayi County (23.2%), Taipei City (23.1%), Nantou County (21.7%), Keelung City (21.3%), and Yunlin County (21.1%).
From 2015 to 2024, among the older population, the number of currently married individuals was the highest, followed by widowed individuals, whereas the number of unmarried individuals was the lowest. The percentage of widowed individuals increased with age in 2024: 15.3% for those aged 65–74 years, 36.4% for those aged 75–84 years, and 65.0% for those aged ≥85 years and older.
Overall, educational attainment among the older population showed a gradual upward trend. The percentage of individuals with primary school education or less among the population aged 65 years and older decreased from 64.5% in 2015 to 41.3% in 2024.
The Indigenous population aged 55 years and older showed a yearly increasing trend, and its percentage of the mid-year Indigenous population increased from 17.1% in 2015 to 22.4% in 2024.
The number of veterans aged 65 years and older gradually decreased from 212,232 in 2014 to 146,461 in 2023.

Economic Status

This chapter describes the economic status of older people in Taiwan based on low-income households, mid- or low-income older people receiving the living allowance, National Pension payment recipients, the employed, and average monthly amount available for living expenses.
The number of individuals aged 65 years and older in low-income households exhibited a yearly increasing trend from 2015 to 2024, and this group accounted for 1.0% to 1.2% of the mid-year population aged 65 years and older. On the other hand, the percentage of mid- or low-income older people receiving the living allowance among the population aged 65 years and older ranged from 4.2% to 5.1%.
The number of individuals aged 65 years and older receiving National Pension payments increased yearly from 1,382,188 in 2015 to 1,895,518 in 2024 and accounting for 43.2% to 48.3% of the mid-year population aged 65 years and older.
Furthermore, the number of employed individuals aged 65 years and older exhibited a yearly increasing trend from 250,000 in 2015 to 430,000 in 2024, and the percentage among the population aged 65 years and older ranged from 8.2% to 9.8%.
On the other hand, the self-reported average monthly amount available for living expenses among the population aged 65 years and older were NT$16,793 in 2022, NT$17,170 for males and NT$16,479 for females.

Health Status

We present a comprehensive overview of the health status of the older population based on life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, leading causes of death, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), chronic diseases, Multimorbidity Frailty index (mFI), self-perceived health status, mobility, activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), depressive tendencies, hearing problems, incidence of falls, and vision problems.
The life expectancy at birth in Taiwan was 80.2 years, with 76.9 years for males and 83.7 years for females in 2023. The life expectancy at age 65 for the population was 19.9 years, with 17.9 years for males and 21.8 years for females in 2023. The healthy life expectancy at birth for the population was 72.5 years, with 69.9 years for males and 75.1 years for females in 2023.
The number of deaths among the older population was 156,148 in 2023, accounting for 76.0% of all deaths in the same year and a 0.3% decrease from the previous year. The crude death rate was 3,725.4 per 100,000 population, a 6.0% decrease from the previous year. The ten leading causes of death among the population in 2023, in order, were cancer, heart diseases, pneumonia, cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, COVID-19, hypertensive diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases, nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephropathy, and dementia. Pneumonia and hypertensive diseases as a cause of death increased among older age groups, whereas that of diabetes and unintentional injuries decreased in 2023.
For assessing comorbidities, the CCI was calculated using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2013 to 2022. The mean CCI score among the older population ranged from 1.14 to 1.21, with little difference between the age-standardized and unstandardized scores. Males (1.25–1.31) had higher mean CCI scores than females (1.04–1.13).
From 2005 to 2017, the percentages of older individuals who self-reported having been diagnosed by a physician with at least one, at least two, and at least three chronic diseases, ranged from 78.2% to 86.8%, 55.4% to 67.0%, and 34.6% to 46.8%, respectively. The percentage of females who self-reported having chronic diseases was higher than that of males for all three categories.
The crude prevalence rates of chronic diseases among the older population were calculated using outpatient, emergency department, and inpatient records from the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2013 to 2022. The crude prevalence rates were 8.8%–12.6% for stroke, 1.0%–1.3% for hemorrhagic stroke, 6.3%–7.4% for ischemic stroke, 12.6%–15.1% for coronary heart disease, 6.9%–9.9% for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 0.2%–0.4% for psychosomatic disorder, 16.6%–18.0% for insomnia, 3.4%–3.6% for depression, and 6.4%–7.4% for anxiety. The percentages of individuals with diseases or abnormalities calculated using Adult Preventive Health Service Databases from 2012 to 2021 are as follows: health checkups revealed that 60.3%–62.2% of the population aged 65 years and older had hypertension, among whom, 62.1%–66.4% reported a history of hypertension; 25.6%–28.3% had diabetes, with 62.9%–66.2% of this group reporting a history of diabetes; 55.1%–57.2% had hyperlipidemia, among whom, 12.3%–23.7% reported a history of hyperlipidemia; 28.4%–41.3% had abnormal kidney function, among whom, 3.1%–5.8% reported a history of kidney disease, and 10.3%–13.8% had abnormal liver function.
For the frailty assessment, the mFI was calculated using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2013 to 2022. The mean mFI score among the older population ranged from 4.97 to 5.49, with little difference between the age-standardized and unstandardized scores. Males (5.28–5.75) had higher mean mFI scores than females (4.67–5.27).
From 2005 to 2017, the percentage of older individuals with mobility difficulties ranged from 50.2% to 56.5%; the percentage with difficulties in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) ranged from 14.3% to 18.9%; the percentage with difficulties in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) ranged from 37.6% to 41.6%; and the percentage with possible depressive tendency ranged from 11.1% to 18.0%. The percentage of those who self-reported their health status as “fair” was the highest, ranging from 41.3% to 46.3%. Within the same age group, females had worse outcomes than males in terms of mobility, ADLs, IADLs, depressive tendencies, and perceived health status.
Regarding hearing, most of older individuals had no hearing problems, and the percentage of those using hearing aids ranged from 1.7% to 3.3%. The highest percentage of hearing aid users in 2005 was among those aged 75–84, while from 2009 to 2017, it was among those aged 85 and older. Regarding falls, the percentage of those who experienced a fall within the past year ranged from 15.5% to 21.3%, with the highest percentage among those aged 85 and older from 2005 to 2013, and among those aged 75–84 years in 2017. Regarding vision problems, the percentage of those with any vision problem ranged from 74.9% to 86.3%, and the highest percentage was noted in the 65–74 age group.

Preventive Health Care and Behavior

Preventive health care and behaviors among the older population were evaluated on the basis of cancer screening, vaccinations, body mass index (BMI), nutrients, weekly recreational physical activity, smoking, alcohol drinking, and betel nut chewing.

The utilization of fecal immunochemical test (FIT) among adults aged 60–64 and 65–69 years declined from 2016 to 2022.

Regarding vaccines, from 2013 to 2022, 0.6%–5.3% of older individuals received the pneumococcal vaccine, with the highest uptake recorded in 2022, whereas 29.9%–53.4% received the influenza vaccine, with the highest vaccination rates observed in 2020 over the past decade.

During 2005–2008, 2013–2016, and 2017–2020, the distribution of BMI among older people showed the highest percentage in the 24≤ BMI <27 category.

The actual calorie intake of older people was closer to the recommended dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for individuals with slightly lower physical activity levels from 2013 to 2016. The average intake of calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin B2 was below the recommended DRIs. For the 65–74 age group, except for vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin A, magnesium, and dietary fiber, the percentage of nutrient intake was higher in males than in females from 2017 to 2020. For the ≥75 age group, except for vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin A, zinc, and dietary fiber, the percentage of nutrient intake was higher in males than in females.

From 2005 to 2017, older males had a higher average weekly duration of recreational physical activity than females across all age groups. A decreasing trend was observed in the overall current smoking rate, dropping from 15.9% in 2005 to 7.4% in 2017. Among males, the rate declined from 29.0% to 14.4% over the same period, while the rate among females remained low, ranging from 1.4% to 2.5%. The percentage of individuals with alcohol consumption habits ranged from 20.0% to 39.6%. The prevalence of betel nut chewing decreased from 2.9% in 2005 to 1.8% in 2017. By age group, the highest percentages of individuals who smoked, consumed alcohol, or chewed betel nut were observed in the 65–74 age group.

Utilization of Health and Long-Term Care

Based on statistics on National Health Insurance (NHI) medical service utilization among people aged 65 years and older, the patterns of healthcare use among older people can be observed. In 2022, the rate of outpatient visits, including emergency visits, exceeded 100,000 per 100,000 population and was higher among females than males. By contrast, the inpatient service utilization rate was higher among males than among females. For both outpatient and inpatient services, the rates were highest in the ≥85 age group, followed by the 75–84 age group, and lowest in the 65–74 age group in both sexes.
Long-Term Care Plan 2.0 targets people aged 65 years and older with functional impairment, people with disabilities and functional impairment of all ages, Indigenous people aged 55 years and older with functional impairment, individuals aged 50 years and older with dementia but without functional impairment, and frail older people. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2024, individuals aged 85 years and older accounted for the highest percentage (36.1%) among long-term care service users. By sex, the percentage was higher among females (58.9%) than among males (41.1%). Among Levels 2 to 8 of long-term care service levels, Level 4 had the highest percentage (19.4%), while Level 6 had the lowest (8.5%). Among counties and cities, Chiayi County had the highest coverage rate for long-term care services (115.3%), followed by Taitung County (111.5%), and Lienchiang County had the lowest rate (33.5%).
Among all service categories, care management and policy incentive services accounted for the largest number of users (543,377), whereas professional services accounted for the smallest number (85,020). In terms of the number of users by long-term care need level and service category, care management and policy incentive services, professional services, transportation services, assistive devices and home accessibility improvement services, and respite services each had the largest number of users at Level 4 (106,124; 15,986; 50,887; 26,847; and 34,755 users, respectively), whereas care services recorded the highest number of users at Level 3 (83,831). Within Indigenous districts, care management and policy incentive services had the largest number of users (27,564), whereas professional services had the smallest number (2,787). Among Indigenous users of Long-Term Care Plan 2.0 services, both males and females had the highest number of users in care management and policy incentive services (total: 15,430; males: 6,347; females: 9,083), whereas professional services recorded the lowest number of users (total: 1,593; males: 725; females: 868).
Among people with disabilities using Long-Term Care Plan 2.0 services, both males and females had the highest number of users in care management and policy incentive services (total: 265,881; males: 125,567; females: 140,314), whereas professional services recorded the lowest number of users (total: 37,799; males: 19,040; females: 18,759).
Most long-term care service institutions were home-based institutions (2,235), while institutional residential institutions were the fewest (122). There were a total of 1,478 community-based long-term care service institutions, with day care being the most common (951), and group homes being the least common (34). Among residential long-term care service institutions, the highest number of senior citizens’ welfare institutions, general nursing homes, institutional residential service institutions established under the Long-Term Care Services Act, and psychiatric nursing homes was found in New Taipei City (senior citizens’ welfare institutions, 211; general nursing homes, 79; institutional residential service institutions established under the Long-Term Care Services Act, 17; psychiatric nursing homes, 9). Taoyuan City had the highest number of accommodation-type institutions for people with disabilities (26), while Tainan City had the most veterans’ homes (3). Both the numbers of licensed beds and open beds were the highest in senior citizens’ welfare institutions (licensed beds, 59,831 beds; open beds, 59,831 beds). Psychiatric nursing homes had the highest occupancy rate (90.0%), whereas institutional residential service institutions established under the Long-Term Care Services Act had the lowest (64.0%). In long-term care service institutions, the highest service volume was found for home-based services (363,943 individuals), and the lowest volume was found for institutional residential services (7,996 individuals). A total of 62,127 individuals received community-based services, with day care services having the highest service volume (42,661 individuals) and group homes having the lowest (336 individuals).
As of the end of December 2024, statistics on the registration of the long-term care workforce showed that care workers accounted for the largest number (total, 97,526 individuals; males, 15,825 individuals; females, 81,701 individuals), while care managers were the fewest (total, 1,534 individuals; males, 121 individuals; females, 1,413 individuals). Care workers engaged in home-based services accounted for the largest number (54,342), whereas those assigned to Alley Long-Term Care Stations (Level C units) accounted for the smallest number (2,895).
In 2024, New Taipei City had the highest numbers of estimated and confirmed dementia cases (estimated cases, 56,109 individuals; confirmed cases, 35,634 individuals). The dementia diagnostic rate was highest in Yilan County (97.2%) and lowest in Kinmen County (45.9%). Among all counties and cities, Taichung City recorded the highest number of dementia day care centers (144 facilities); New Taipei City recorded the highest number of dementia community service centers (62 facilities); New Taipei City and Pingtung County jointly recorded the highest number of dementia co-care centers (13 facilities); and New Taipei City, Yilan County, and Pingtung County jointly recorded the highest number of group homes (4 facilities).

Social Participation and Living Arrangement

We used registered older people living alone who require care, changes in the number of housing units with only older people, living arrangements, and social participation as indicators to observe social participation and living arrangements among older people.
From 2015 to 2024, the percentage of registered older people living alone who require care ranged from 1.1% to 1.7%. From 2015 to 2024, among housing units occupied only by older people, the percentage occupied by a single older person living alone ranged from 74.9% to 76.1%.
Regarding living arrangements, the percentage of older people living with family members was the highest from 2009 to 2022 (2009, 68.5%; 2013, 64.2%; 2017, 66.4%; 2022, 63.2%), whereas the percentage of those living only with other relatives or friends was the lowest (2009, 0.8%; 2013, 0.6%; 2017, 1.0%; 2022, 1.4%).
From 2005 to 2017, the majority of older people did not serve as volunteers, and 8.1%–12.3% of the older people served as volunteers. The percentage of older people who occasionally or regularly participated in religious activities ranged from 26.6% to 30.6%, and this percentage was higher among females than among males. The percentage of those occasionally or regularly participating in community or neighborhood activities ranged from 22.5% to 25.3%, and this percentage was higher among males than among females.