A spate of measures to encourage more births have failed to reverse declining birth rate in Taiwan, the latest Ministry of the Interior (MOI) statistics show. The number of newborns in 2009 was 191,300, a record low, and fell below 200,000 for the second consecutive year, after 198,733 children were born in 2008. According to a report on world population trends published by the U.S.-based Population Reference Bureau, Taiwan has the lowest birth rate in the world, with one woman giving birth to one child on average. The government has implemented a series of measures to enhance the well-being of children, including education coupons, medical subsidies, day care subsidies and parental leave subsidies. New parents are also entitled to two years of unpaid parental leave to raise their newborn, but the declining birth rate has persisted. Local governments have also offered incentives, with Hsinchu and Chiayi cities and Hsinchu, Changhua and Yunlin counties all granting cash subsidies to women who give birth. Hsinchu City, for example, gives parents NT$15,000 for their first child, NT$20,000 for their second child, and NT$25,000 for their third child. Wang Yun-tung, an assistant professor at National Taiwan University, said that raising children is a long-term process, while the government's incentive programs are often short-term or lump-sum payments, which do not provide 'enough encouragement.' Wang suggested that the government should start by improving the overall environment to deal with the issue. Interior Minister Jiang Yi-huah said recently that the lack of interest in having children could be related to the weak economy, the deterioration of the natural environment, and social conflict. 'If the basics are not improved, then all other measures will have limited effect,' Jiang said. 