TAIPEI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's population has declined for a 19th straight month, down 8,805 from June, figures released by the island's interior affairs authority show.

According to the latest statistics, the population totaled 23,337,936 at the end of July. It also showed that residents aged 65 and older numbered 4.58 million, accounting for 19.64 percent of the total population.

The statistics also showed that 64,314 babies were born in the first seven months of this year, a drop of 9,984 compared with the same period last year. In July alone, there were 8,939 births, 1,485 fewer births than there were in the same period last year, with an annual crude birth rate of 4.51 per 1,000 people.

Taiwan reported 16,846 deaths in July -- equivalent to an annual crude death rate of 8.5 per 1,000, per the data.

According to the island's population projections database, Taiwan's population peaked at 23.6 million in 2019 before declining annually, with a slight rebound in 2023. It also projects that the total population could fall below 23 million as early as 2030. Enditem