TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Despite Taiwan's overall decreasing population, the central city of Taichung maintained its growth during the first quarter of 2021, reports said Wednesday (April 14).

Taichung reached a population of 2,821,322 at the end of the first quarter, local officials said. While it registered 762 more deaths than births, 1,297 more people moved into the city than left it, the China Times reported.

The largest group of new arrivals, numbering 418, were aged 25-29, showing Taichung enjoys a positive reputation for investing in jobs, public infrastructure, and social spending programs, according to local government officials.

Its growth figures were also the strongest of all six special municipalities. Only Taoyuan in the north also recorded growth, while New Taipei, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and especially the capital saw their populations shrink.

When the original Taichung City merged with Taichung County in 2010 to form the special municipality, the new unit counted 2.64 million residents. Since then, it has almost never stopped growing.

Taiwan’s overall number of inhabitants recorded its first-ever drop in 2020, falling by 41,885 to 23,561,236. By the end of March of this year, the country’s total population stood at 23,525,623, a drop of 0.3 percent from last year, meaning the country lost on average 194.2 people per day.