Demographics of Taiwan

Demographics of Taiwan
Population pyramid of Taiwan at the end of 2021
Population	23,190,064 (July 2022)
Growth rate	0.04% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	7.39 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	7.89 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy	81.16 years
• male	78.17 years
• female	84.34 years
Fertility rate	1.08 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate	3.97 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	0.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	12.42%
65 and over	15.72%
Sex ratio
Total	0.97 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth	1.06 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.06 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.73 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Taiwanese
Major ethnic	Han Chinese
Language
Official	Mandarin

Residents per square kilometre by village

The population of Taiwan is approximately 23.19 million as of September 2022.

Immigration of Han Chinese to the Penghu islands started as early as the 13th century, while settlement of the main island occurred from the 16th century during the Ming–Qing transition. Further immigration occurred when workers were imported from Fujian in the 17th century. According to governmental statistics, in the early 21st century, 95% to 97% of Taiwan's population are Han Chinese, while about 2.3% are Taiwanese of Austronesian ethnicity. Half the population are followers of one or a mixture of 25 recognized religions.

During the 20th century, the population of Taiwan rose more than sevenfold, from about 3 million in 1905 to more than 22 million by 2001. This high growth was caused by a combination of factors, such as very high fertility rates up to the 1960s, and low mortality rates. In addition, there was a surge in population as the Chinese Civil War ended and the Kuomintang (KMT) forces retreated, bringing an influx of 1.2 million soldiers and civilians to Taiwan in 1948–1949, representing less than 15% of the population at the time (who constitute approximately 10% of the population in 2004). Consequently, the population growth rate after that was very rapid, especially in the late 1940s and 1950s, with an effective annual growth rate as high as 3.68% during 1951–1956.

Fertility rates decreased gradually thereafter; in 1984 the rate reached the replacement level (2.1 children per woman, which is needed to replace the existing population). Fertility rates have continued to decline. In 2010, Taiwan had a population growth of less than 0.2% and a fertility rate of only 0.9, the lowest rate ever recorded in that country. The population of Taiwan peaked at 23.6 million in 2019 and has been continuously decreasing ever since.

Most Taiwanese speak Mandarin. Around 70% of the people also speak Taiwanese Hokkien and 10% speak Hakka. Japanese speakers are becoming rare as the elderly generation who lived under Japanese colonization are dying out. The Formosan languages are endangered as the indigenous peoples have become acculturated under Chinese culture.

Population

See also: List of administrative divisions of Taiwan

According to February 2022 statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the population of Taiwan was 23,319,776, 99.6% of whom live on the island of Taiwan. The remaining 0.4% live on offshore islands (Penghu, Lanyu, Green, Kinmen, and Matsu).

Taiwan is ranked the 57th most populous nation in the world.

Historical

See also: North–South divide in Taiwan § Population

The number of Chinese people living on the island in 1624, prior to Dutch colonial rule, was about 25,000. During Dutch Formosa rule, between 1624 and 1662, the Dutch began to encourage large-scale Han immigration to the island for labour, mainly from the south of Fujian.

It is estimated that prior to the Kingdom of Tungning (1661), the population of Taiwan was no greater than 100,000 people, and the initial Zheng army with families and retainers that settled in Taiwan is estimated to be 30,000 at minimum. During Qing rule (1683–1895), the population of Han Chinese in Taiwan grew rapidly from 100,000 to ≈2.5 million, while the aboriginal population was estimated to be at least 200,000 by 1895. (The plains aboriginal population is estimated to have decreased by 90% over the hundred years from 1800 to 1900.)

The Japanese Colonial Government performed detailed censuses every five years starting in 1905. Statistics showed a population growth rate of about 1% to 3% per year throughout Japanese rule. In 1905, the population of Taiwan was roughly 3 million; by 1940, the population had grown to 5.87 million, and after the Second World War in 1946 it numbered 6.09 million.

Population census

Year	Males (thousands)	Females (thousands)	Total population (thousands)	Average annual growth rate (%)
1905	1,611	1,429	3,040
1915	1,813	1,669	3,480	1.4
1920	1,894	1,762	3,655	1.0
1925	2,053	1,941	3,993	1.8
1930	2,459	2,239	4,593	2.8
1935	2,660	2,553	5,212	2.6
1940	2,971	2,901	5,872	2.4
1956	4,772	4,596	9,368	3.0
1966	7,153	6,352	13,505	3.7
1970 (sampling)	7,723	7,047	14,770	2.3
1975 (sampling)	8,439	7,840	16,279	2.0
1980	9,405	8,624	18,030	2.1
1990	10,618	9,775	20,394	1.2
2000	11,386	10,915	22,301	0.9
2010			23,052	0.4

Population of Taiwan (1981–2018)

Year	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990
Population	18,193,955	18,515,754	18,790,538	19,069,194	19,313,825	19,509,082	19,725,010	19,954,397	20,156,587	20,401,305
±%	—	+ 1.768%	+ 1.484%	+ 1.483%	+ 1.283%	+ 1.011%	+ 1.107%	+ 1.163%	+ 1.013%	+ 1.214%
Year	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Population	20,605,831	20,802,622	20,995,416	21,177,874	21,357,431	21,525,433	21,742,815	21,928,591	22,092,387	22,276,672
±%	+ 1.003%	+ 0.955%	+ 0.927%	+ 0.869%	+ 0.848%	+ 0.787%	+ 1.010%	+ 0.854%	+ 0.747%	+ 0.834%
Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Population	22,405,568	22,520,776	22,604,550	22,689,122	22,770,383	22,876,527	22,958,360	23,037,031	23,119,772	23,162,123
±%	+ 0.579%	+ 0.514%	+ 0.372%	+ 0.374%	+ 0.358%	+ 0.466%	+ 0.358%	+ 0.343%	+ 0.359%	+ 0.183%
Year	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Population	23,224,912	23,315,822	23,373,517	23,433,753	23,492,074	23,539,816	23,571,227	23,588,932	23,600,903	23,539,588
±%	+ 0.271%	+ 0.391%	+ 0.247%	+ 0.258%	+ 0.249%	+ 0.203%	+ 0.133%	+ 0.075%	+ 0.051%	– 0.260%

Details

• Date:2019/07-08

County City	Area (km2)	Population	Margin	Density (people/km2)	Sort
New Taipei	2052.5667	4,010,657	+2843	1,954	1(8)
Taichung	2214.8968	2,811,729	+581	1,270	2(8)
Kaohsiung	2951.8524	2,773,786	+195	939	3(8)
Taipei	271.7997	2,650,154	-3854	9,765	4(8)
Taoyuan	1220.9540	2,240,328	+2385	1,833	5(8)
Tainan	2191.6531	1,881,730	-66	859	6(8)
Changhua County	1074.3960	1,273,613	-661	1,186	7(8)
Pingtung	2775.6003	820,798	-398	296	8(8)
Yunlin	1290.8326	682,577	-335	529	9(8)
Hsinchu County	1427.5369	561,766	+1047	393	10(8)
Miaoli	1820.3149	546,461	-37	300	11
Chiayi	1903.6367	504,750	-347	265	12(8)
Nantou	4106.4360	495,084	-22	121	13
Yilan	2143.6251	454,636	-57	212	14
Hsinchu City	104.1526	447,781	+297	4296	15(8)
Keelung	132.7589	369,305	-55	2782	16
Hualien	4628.5714	326,780	-33	69	17(8)
Chiayi City	60.0256	268,068	-163	4469	18
Taitung County	3515.2526	217,540	-296	62	19
Kinmen County	151.6560	139,319	-46	918	20
Penghu County	126.8641	104,711	+3	825	21
Lienchiang County	28.8000	13,073	+11	455	22(8)
Free area of the Republic of China	36,197.0669	23,593,794	+1196	651	-(8)

• Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs, Taiwan

Net migration rate

During 2004 – 2010, Taiwan's migration rate was positive. On average, the annual net migration amounted to 22,000 people during that period, which is equivalent to a rate of 1.0 per 1,000 inhabitants per year.

Age structure

Age range	1980	1990	2000	2010	2015	2020
0–14 years	32.1%	26.9%	21.2%	15.65%	13.6%	12.6%
15–64 years	63.6%	67.0%	70.2%	73.61%	73.9%	71.4%
65 years and over	4.3%	6.1%	8.6%	10.74%	12.5%	16.0%

Sex ratio

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15–24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

25–54 years: 1.00 male(s)/female

55–64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est)

Population growth and age structure

Demographic transition models (DTM) show how population pyramids change and go through specific stages. By looking at Taiwan's population pyramid, the country is in stage 4 of the DTM and its shape contracts but it will soon enter stage 5. In stage 5 of the DTM, death rate gradually exceeds fertility rate and a country starts to experience overall population loss. Access to good medical care increases the lifespan of a population. Knowledge of and access to contraception, along with an increase in women's participation in the workforce, cause a sharp decline in the fertility rate.

National statistics of Taiwan in 2018 indicate that there are approximately 140,000 more females than males. The birth rate (8.3 births/1,000 population) is slightly higher than the death rate (7.4 deaths/1,000 population). The total dependency ratio in Taiwan is 35.2%, which is relatively low. The low dependency ratio indicates that the dependent part of the population is less than half of the working part. Experts estimate the dependency ratio will rise to 92.9% by 2060. A rising dependency ratio and longer life expectancy will most likely require the government to support part of the elderly population as the working-age population is shrinking and thus less able to support the elderly directly.

Demographic transition and population aging

The process of population aging is primarily determined by fertility and mortality rate. The proportions of elderly people are different across countries. For example, developing countries with limited access to healthcare and contraceptives, where populations have a high fertility rate, tend to have a lower proportion of older people. Medical advancements, industrial developments, and better knowledge of sanitation, which started in the 18th century in many developed countries, have caused a decline in mortality rates and an increase in fertility rates, factors which raise the number of older people worldwide. According to the United Nations, many developed countries are in more advanced stages (4 or 5) of the demographic transition model and their number of elderly will remain high compared to less developed countries. This phenomenon is known as population aging.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since 1993, Taiwan has reached the threshold of an aging society. It was estimated the percentage of people over 65 was 8%. The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) has estimated that Taiwan will become an aged society as early as 2017. The CEPD estimated that the percentage of people 65 years or older will be over 20% in 2025, which means Taiwan will soon become a "super aged society". The critical factors that accelerate the speed of aging in Taiwan are high life expectancy and low fertility rate. The average life expectancy in 2014 was 80 years. The total fertility rate in 2014 was 1.1 (per 1,000 women) and dropped to 0.9 in 2017.

Ethnicity

See also: Taiwanese people, Taiwanese indigenous peoples, and Han Taiwanese

The ROC government reports that 95 to 97 percent of Taiwan's population is of the Han Chinese ethnicity, which includes Hoklo, Hakka, and other ethnic groups originating from mainland China. Over 2% of the population consists of indigenous Taiwanese. 21,000 Westerners live in Taiwan, accounting for 0.1% of its total population.

Indigenous Taiwanese

Original geographic distributions of Taiwanese aboriginal peoples

Main articles: Taiwanese indigenous peoples, List of indigenous peoples of Taiwan, Plains indigenous peoples, and Indigenous Area (Taiwan)

The total population of recognized indigenous people in Taiwan is approximately 533,600, or approximately 2.28% of Taiwan's population. These groups primarily inhabit the eastern half of Taiwan, which consists mostly of mountainous terrain. Their population growth rate (1.2%) and population pyramid are considerably more youthful than the overall population. Including migrant workers, the Austronesian population of Taiwan is approaching 1 million.

Place	Population			Pct
	Male	Female	Total
Living in the Eastern plains	111,372	109,141	220,513	47.1%
Living in the mountains	122,016	126,073	248,089	52.9%
Total	233,388	235,214	468,602	100%

Note: Source data obtained from the Ministry of the Interior website (Spreadsheet data: m1-04.xls Archived 2017-06-20 at the Wayback Machine)

The Taiwanese government officially recognizes sixteen ethnic groups of Taiwanese indigenous peoples (Chinese: 原住民; pinyin: yuánzhùmín; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gôan-chū-bîn). In the early 1910s, research in the Japanese era recognized nine ethnic groups: Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiyat, Tsou, and Yami. After the 2000s, indigenous cultural revitalization movements forced the government to change its attitude towards the indigenous people of Taiwan. The Yami people were renamed to Tao. New ethnic groups were also recognized by the government, including Thao in 2001, Kavalan in 2002, Truku (Taroko) in 2004, Sakizaya in 2007, Seediq in 2008, Kanakanavu in 2014, and Saaroa in 2014. There are at least another dozen groups that are not officially recognized by the government.

Officially Recognized Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples

Name	Formosan native name	Chinese	Population at census 2000	Population (02/2016)	Notes
Amis	Pangcah, 'Amis	阿美族	148,992	203,740	Recognized since Japanese era. Amis name means "north"
Atayal	Tayal, Tayan	泰雅族	91,883	87,156	Recognized since Japanese era. Atayal name means "brave person"
Bunun	Bunun	布農族	41,038	56,844	Recognized since Japanese era.
Kanakanavu	Kanakanavu	卡那卡那富族	—	267	Classified as Tsou, recognized since 2014
Kavalan	Kebalan, Kbaran	噶瑪蘭族	—	1,416	Some Kavalan were classified as Amis, recognized since 2002
Paiwan	Payuan	排灣族	70,331	97,788	Recognized since Japanese era.
Puyuma	Pinuyumayan	卑南族	9,606	13,651	Recognized since Japanese era.
Rukai	Drekay	魯凱族	12,084	12,996	Recognized since Japanese era.
Saaroa	Hla'alua	拉阿魯哇族	—	294	Classified as Tsou, recognized since 2014
Saisiyat	Say-Siyat	賽夏族	5,311	6,495	Recognized since Japanese era.
Sakizaya	Sakizaya	撒奇萊雅族	—	863	Classified as Amis, recognized since 2007
Seediq	Seediq	賽德克族	—	9,451	Classified as Atayal, recognized since 2008
Taroko	Truku	太魯閣族	—	30,382	Classified as Atayal, recognized since 2004
Thao	Thao, Ngan	邵族	—	768	Classified as Tsou, recognized since 2001
Tsou	Cou	鄒族	6,169	6,647	Recognized since Japanese era.
Yami	Tao	達悟族、雅美族	3,872	4,494	Recognized since Japanese era. Yami name means "person"
Unspecified	尚未申報		8,249	14,206
Total			397,535	547,465

Unrecognized indigenous groups may include extinct tribes (mostly Plains indigenous peoples) or communities currently classified with other groups. There are also 25,943 indigenous people who are currently not classified in any group.

Unrecognized Taiwanese indigenous Peoples

Name	Formosan native name	Chinese	Notes
Arikun	Arikun	阿立昆族	Sometimes classified as Hoanya
Babuza	Babuza, Poavasa	貓霧拺族
Basay	Basay, Basai	巴賽族、馬塞族	Sometimes classified as Ketagalan
Hoanya	Hoanya	洪雅族、和安雅族	Sometimes split into Lloa and Arikun
Kaxabu	Kaxabu, Kahapu	噶哈巫族	Sometimes classified as Pazeh. In revitalization.
Ketagalan	Ketagalan	凱達格蘭族
Kulon	Kulon	龜崙族
Lloa	Lloa	羅亞族	Sometimes classified Hoanya
Luilang	Luilang	雷朗族	Sometimes classified as Ketagalan
Makatao	Makatao, Tao	馬卡道族	Sometimes classified as Siraya. Recognized in Pingtung. In revitalization.
Papora	Papora, Vupuran	拍瀑拉族、巴布拉族
Pazeh	Pazéh, Pazih	巴宰族、巴則海族	In revitalization.
Qauqaut	Qauqaut	猴猴族
Siraya	Siraya	西拉雅族、希萊耶族	Recognized in Tainan and Fuli. In revitalization.
Taivoan	Taivoan, Taivuan	大武壠族	Sometimes classified as Siraya. Recognized in Fuli. In revitalization.
Taokas	Taokas	道卡斯族	In revitalization.

Han Chinese

Main articles: Han Chinese, Han Taiwanese, Hoklo Taiwanese, and Hakka people

The majority of Han Chinese descend from immigrants who arrived to the island prior to Japanese rule (1895–1945) and can be classified as the Hoklo and Hakka, on the basis of language and customs. As the majority of early immigrants were Hokkien speakers from Fujian who arrived starting in the 17th century, the Hoklos account for about 70% of the total population today. During Qing rule, a large number of Hoklo men took indigenous brides. Some of the plains aboriginals also adopted Chinese customs and language so as to be indistinguishable from the Han. Thus, many who categorize themselves as Han have some degree of indigenous ancestry.

A significant minority of Han Chinese are Hakka, and they constitute about 15% of the total population. The Hakkas emigrated chiefly from eastern Guangdong, speak Hakka Chinese, and originally took up residence in the hills of the indigenous border districts.

Waishengren form another significant mixed ethnic group in Taiwan. The term refers to migrants who moved from China to Taiwan between 1945, when the ROC took control of Taiwan from the Japanese empire, and 1949 during the relocation of the ROC from mainland China to Taiwan. Estimates vary regarding how many waishengren migrated, with most estimates ranging between 950,000 and 2 million, with 1.2 million being the most commonly cited figure in Taiwan, which would have constituted less than 15% of the population at the time (who constitute approximately 10% of the population in 2004).

Foreign residents

Foreign residents in Taiwan

	Nationality / Origin	2021	2019	% in 2019
1	Indonesia	254,403	255,770	33.1%
2	Vietnam	247,817	224,108	29.0%
3	Philippines	156,996	152,179	19.7%
4	Thailand	67,308	64,381	8.34%
5	Malaysia	22,819	20,549	2.66%
6	Japan	16,160	13,768	1.78%
7	United States	12,847	9,979	1.29%
8	South Korea	5,132	4,481	0.58%
9	India	4,695	3,748	0.49%
10	Canada	2,737	2,167	0.28%
11	United Kingdom	2,961	2,097	0.27%
12	Myanmar	1,852	1,671	0.22%
13	France	1,790	1,553	0.20%
14	Singapore	1,726	1,456	0.19%
15	South Africa	1,416	1,207	0.16%
16	Mongolia	684	1,126	0.15%
17	Germany	1,224	965	0.12%
18	Australia	1,051	838	0.11%
19	Russia	663	578	0.07%
20	Italy	579	489	0.06%
21	Spain	473	390	0.05%
22	Eswatini		363	0.05%
23	Netherlands	512	346	0.04%
24	New Zealand	352	313	0.04%
25	Brazil	261	307	0.04%
26	Honduras		288	0.04%
27	Turkey	311	279	0.04%
28	Ukraine	230	245	0.03%
29	Poland	285	217	0.03%
29	Portugal	312	217	0.03%
30	Belgium	302	198	0.03%
31	Mexico	226	196	0.03%
32	Pakistan		186	0.02%
33	Nicaragua		183	0.02%
34	Belize		181	0.02%
34	Ethiopia		181	0.02%
35	Paraguay		176	0.02%
36	Switzerland	219	168	0.02%
37	Ireland		165	0.02%
38	Cambodia		164	0.02%
39	Nepal		159	0.02%
40	Haiti		148	0.02%
41	Denmark		147	0.02%
42	Guatemala		138	0.02%
43	El Salvador		125	0.02%
43	Sweden		125	0.02%
44	Gambia		122	0.02%
45	Iran		118	0.02%
46	Austria		117	0.02%
47	Colombia		106
48	Israel		105
49	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines		104
50	Saint Lucia		102
51	Czech Republic		101
52	Sri Lanka		95
53	Solomon Islands		88
53	Venezuela		88
54	Egypt		87
55	Kiribati		85
55	Peru		85
56	Panama		83
57	Nigeria		81
58	Jordan		80
59	Hungary		79
60	Saint Kitts and Nevis		73
61	Belarus		65
61	Burkina Faso		65
62	Bangladesh		62
63	Malawi		60
64	Argentina		57
65	Chile		48
65	Palau		48
66	Kyrgyzstan		45
67	Dominican Republic		43
67	Marshall Islands		43
68	Ecuador		42
69	Laos		41
69	Slovakia		41
70	Romania		39
71	Uzbekistan		38
72	Finland		37
73	Kenya		32
74	Croatia		31
75	Morocco		30
75	Tuvalu		30
76	Ghana		28
76	Norway		28
77	Papua New Guinea		27
78	Tanzania		26
79	Greece		25
80	Nauru		24
81	Lithuania		23
81	Mauritius		23
81	Slovenia		23
82	Kazakhstan		22
83	Armenia		21
83	Brunei		21
83	Serbia		21
83	Uganda		19
84	Bulgaria		18
85	Costa Rica		17
85	Iraq		17
85	Latvia		17
85	Zimbabwe		17
86	Bolivia		15
86	Burundi		15
87	North Macedonia		14
88	Turkmenistan		13
88	Uruguay		13
89	Estonia		11
89	Tunisia		11
89	Yemen		11
90	Republic of the Congo		10
91	Algeria		9
91	Georgia		9
91	Lebanon		9
91	Moldova		9
91	Syria		9
92	Cameroon		8
92	Fiji		8
93	Bhutan		7
93	Namibia		7
93	Sudan		7
94	Chad		6
94	Democratic Republic of the Congo		6
94	Mozambique		6
94	Palestine		6
94	Tajikistan		6
94	Tonga		6
94	Sierra Leone		6
94	Zambia		6
95	Botswana		5
95	Cuba		5
95	Jamaica		5
96	Ivory Coast		4
96	Lesotho		4
96	Libya		4
96	Niger		4
96	Oman		4
96	Senegal		4
96	Timor-Leste		4
96	Trinidad and Tobago		4
97	Azerbaijan		3
97	Guinea		3
97	Iceland		3
97	Mali		3
97	Rwanda		3
97	São Tomé and Príncipe		3
97	Saudi Arabia		3
98	Albania		2
98	Bahrain		2
98	Benin		2
98	Cyprus		2
98	Madagascar		2
98	Maldives		2
98	Malta		2
98	Somalia		2
98	Togo		2
99	Afghanistan		1
99	Angola		1
99	Bermuda		1
99	Barbados		1
99	Cape Verde		1
99	Dominica		1
99	Gabon		1
99	Guinea-Bissau		1
99	Federated States of Micronesia		1
99	Seychelles		1
99	Suriname		1
99	Vanuatu		1
-	Other (stateless)		103	<0.02%
	Total		772,281	100.0%
Source: National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior

Languages

Main articles: Languages of Taiwan, Formosan languages, Taiwanese Hokkien, Taiwanese Hakka, Taiwanese Mandarin, and Matsu dialect

During Japanese rule (between 1895 and 1945), Japanese was the medium of instruction and could be fluently spoken by many of those educated during that period. Almost everyone in Taiwan born after the early 1950s can speak Mandarin, which was the official language and has been the medium of instruction in schools ever since.

Hanyu Pinyin, the official romanization system in mainland China, has also been the standard of Taiwan since 2009. A number of romanization systems are still seen in Taiwan, including Tongyong, the official romanization in Taiwan between 2002 and 2008, Wade–Giles, often found on passports, and Postal.

Other Sinitic languages can also be seen in Taiwan. The majority speak Taiwanese Hokkien, a branch of Southern Min, which had formerly been the most commonly spoken language. On Matsu Islands, the Eastern Min Fuzhou dialect is prevalent. Although people on Kinmen (Quemoy) also speak Southern Min, it is not the case in the Wuqiu Islands, for they speak a dialect of the Pu-Xian Min. The ethnic Hakka speak various Taiwanese Hakka dialects including Sixian, Hailu, Dabu, Raoping, and Zhao'an.

The most widely spoken Formosan languages today are Amis, Atayal, Bunun, and Paiwan. The other aboriginal languages that have gained official recognition are Kanakanavu, Kavalan, Puyuma, Rukai, Hla’alua, Saisiyat, Sakizaya, Seediq (closely related to Truku), Thao, Tsou, and Yami (also known as Tao).

Languages used at home for the resident nationals aged 6 years and over（2010, per 100 resident nationals）

Division	Population	Mandarin	Taiwanese	Hakka	Indigenous	Others
Total	21,407,235	83.5	81.9	6.6	1.4	2
New Taipei City	3,779,575	92	82.9	2.4	0.9	2.4
Taipei	2,475,422,	93.2	73.5	3.5	0.5	3.2
Keelung	358,927	87.2	91.1	0.9	1.8	1.8
Hsinchu	427,792	92	70.7	11.1	0.8	1.6
Yilan	393,109	78.2	94.9	0.6	1.8	1
Taoyuan	1,982,734	93.4	58.2	17.1	1.3	1.3
Hsinchu County	464,165	90.6	27.7	56	2	1.1
Taichung	2,521,926	87.1	89.9	3.5	0.6	1.4
Miaoli	482,329	79.4	45.8	52.4	1	0.5
Changhua	1,123,439	69.5	98.1	0.3	0.2	0.9
Nantou	426,631	75.3	92	3.2	4.3	1.2
Yunlin	573,064	60	98.2	1.6	0.1	1.4
Tainan	1,719,853	71.7	95.8	0.5	0.3	2.7
Kaohsiung	2,596,510	78.6	90.9	3	0.7	2.4
Chiayi	250,900	76.5	94.7	0.4	0.3	1
Chiayi County	458,244	61	97.5	0.8	0.8	3.6
Pingtung	750,122	66.2	82.3	12	4.7	0.5
Penghu	80,203	75	93.6	0.5	0.3	2.4
Taitung	187,763	89.9	65.9	5.4	21.3	5.5
Hualien	287,858	90.8	60.9	10.8	16.9	1.6
Kinmen	52,603	85.4	92.8	1.1	0.5	0.8
Lienchiang	14,066	96.6	44.7	3.9	1.6	24.1

Religion

Main article: Religion in Taiwan

Lungshan Temple of Manka, Taipei

Still Thoughts Hall, Hualien City

Holy Rosary Cathedral, Kaohsiung

Taipei Grand Mosque, Taipei

Article 13 of the Constitution of the Republic of China guarantees freedom of religion as a right of all its citizens. As of 2013, the Republic of China government recognizes 27 religions which are registered with the Civil Affairs Department of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI).

Statistics on registered religions (2005)

About 81.3% of the population can be considered religious believers, most of whom identify as Buddhists (35%) or Taoists (33%). Chinese folk religion is generally practised under the aegis of Taoism, while more than 10% of the population adheres to popular movements of salvation. Confucianism also is an honored school of thought and ethical codes. Christian churches have been active in Taiwan for centuries; a majority of them are Protestant, with Presbyterians playing a particularly significant role. The Republic of China's government has diplomatic relations with the Holy See, which is the only European nation to formally recognize the Republic of China and is its longest-lasting diplomatic ally, having established relations in 1942. Islam has seen a surge in recent years as a result of foreign Muslims seeking work in Taiwan, most notably from Indonesia. There is also a small group of Shinto followers under the Tenriist sect, which was introduced in the 1970s.

The table below shows official statistics on religion issued by the Department of Civil Affairs, Ministry of the Interior ("MOI"), in 2005. The Taiwanese government recognises 26 religions in Taiwan. The statistics are reported by the various religious organisations to the MOI:

Religion	Members	% of total population	Temples & churches
Buddhism (佛教) (including Tantric Buddhism)	8,086,000	35.1%	4,006
Taoism (道教)	7,600,000	33.0%	18,274
Yiguandao (一貫道)	810,000	3.5%	3,260
Protestantism (基督新教)	605,000	2.6%	3,609
Roman Catholic Church (羅馬天主教)	298,000	1.3%	1,151
Lord of Universe Church—Tiandiism (天帝教)	298,000	1.3%	50
Miledadao (彌勒大道)	250,000	1.1%	2,200
Holy Church of the Heavenly Virtue—Tiandiism (天德教)	200,000	0.9%	14
Zailiism/Liism (理教)	186,000	0.8%	138
Xuanyuanism (軒轅教)	152,700	0.7%	22
Islam (伊斯蘭教)	58,000	0.3%	7
Mormonism (耶穌基督後期聖徒教會)	51,090	0.2%	54
Tenriism (天理教)	35,000	0.2%	153
Church of Maitreya the King of the Universe (宇宙彌勒皇教)	35,000	0.2%	12
Haizidao (亥子道)	30,000	0.1%	55
Church of Scientology (山達基教會)	20,000	< 0.1%	7
Bahá'í Faith (巴哈伊教)	16,000	< 0.1%	13
Jehovah's Witnesses (耶和華見證人)	9,256	< 0.1%	85
True School of the Mysterious Gate (玄門真宗)	5,000	< 0.1%	5
Holy Church of the Middle Flower (中華聖教)	3,200	< 0.1%	7
Mahikari (真光教團)	1,000	< 0.1%	9
Precosmic Salvationism (先天救教)	1,000	< 0.1%	6
Yellow Middle (黃中)	1,000	< 0.1%	1
Dayiism (大易教)	1,000	< 0.1%	1
Total religious population	18,724,823	81.3%	33,223
Total population	23,036,087	100%	-

The figures for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not from the MOI, rather they are based on self-reported data from LDS Newsroom. The figures for Jehovah's Witnesses are not from the MOI either, they are based on the Witnesses' own 2007 Service Year Report. In the original report, both of them were counted as part of Protestantism.

Vital statistics

Births and deaths

	Average population (x 1000)	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*
1906	3,060	119,107	102,000	16,000	38.6	33.4	5.2	6.13
1907	3,090	121,756	100,000	21,000	39.1	32.4	6.7	6.16
1908	3,120	119,800	100,000	19,000	38.2	31.9	6.3	6.14
1909	3,160	127,286	98,000	29,000	40.2	31.1	9.1	6.29
1910	3,210	132,141	88,000	45,000	41.3	27.5	13.8	6.37
1911	3,270	135,658	86,000	51,000	41.8	26.2	15.6	6.42
1912	3,330	136,622	83,000	55,000	41.3	25.0	16.3	6.46
1913	3,390	136,967	85,000	53,000	40.8	25.0	15.8	6.45
1914	3,440	141,450	95,000	47,000	41.4	27.6	13.8	6.62
1915	3,480	137,669	110,000	29,000	40.0	31.5	8.5	6.45
1916	3,510	128,605	100,000	31,000	37.3	28.6	8.7
1917	3 560	142,414	96,000	50,000	40.9	27.0	13.9
1918	3 590	139,465	122,000	21,000	39.7	34.1	5.6
1919	3,630	136,707	97,000	43,000	38.5	26.8	11.7
1920	3,655	141,313	117,000	27,000	39.5	32.1	7.4	6.48
1921	3,720	155,159	90,000	69,000	42.8	24.2	18.6
1922	3,790	154,531	93,000	65,000	41.8	24.6	17.2
1923	3,860	146,984	82,000	69,000	39.1	21.3	17.8
1924	3,930	158,688	96,000	67,000	41.4	24.5	16.9
1925	3,993	159,423	95,000	68,000	40.8	23.9	16.9
1926	4,100	175,802	92,000	87,000	43.7	22.4	21.3
1927	4,210	177,422	93,000	89,000	43.2	22.1	21.1
1928	4,330	183,699	95,000	94,000	43.7	22.0	21.7
1929	4,460	190,031	96,000	100,000	44.0	21.6	22.4
1930	4,593	198,186	89,000	117,000	44.8	19.4	25.4	7.02
1931	4,710	208,137	100,000	116,000	45.8	21.3	24.5
1932	4,867	204,913	99,000	115,000	44.0	20.4	23.6
1933	4,995	211,737	98,000	123,000	44.3	19.7	24.6
1934	5,128	219,189	105,166	123,510	44.6	20.5	24.1
1935	5,255	225,980	106,905	129,040	44.9	20.3	24.6
1936	5,384	223,961	106,332	127,725	43.5	19.8	23.7
1937	5,530	237,090	109,096	138,570	44.8	19.7	25.1
1938	5,678	235,821	111,723	133,117	43.1	19.7	23.4
1939	5,821	244,707	115,044	139,119	43.7	19.8	23.9
1940	5,987	246,691	116,239	141,232	43.0	19.4	23.6	6.11
1941	6,163	241,894	99,858	153,447	41.1	16.2	24.9	5.98
1942	6,339	242,796	112,161	143,243	40.3	17.7	22.6	5.93
1943	6,507	247,427	122,001	138,662	40.0	18.8	21.2
1944
1945
1946
1947	6,294	241,071	114,000	127,000	38.3	18.1	20.2
1948	6,648	264,000	95,000	169,000	39.7	14.3	25.4	5.98
1949	7,099	300,843	93,000	208,000	42.4	13.1	29.3	6.49
1950	7,468	323,643	86,000	238,000	43.4	11.5	31.9	7.14
1951	7,695	385,383	89,000	296,000	50.0	11.6	38.5	7.59
1952	8,000	372,905	79,000	294,000	46.6	9.9	36.8	7.56
1953	8,297	374,536	78,000	297,000	45.2	9.4	35.8	7.54
1954	8,617	383,574	71,000	313,000	44.6	8.2	36.3	7.25
1955	8,924	403,683	77,000	327,000	45.3	8.6	36.6	7.32
1956	9,242	414,036	74,000	340,000	44.8	8.0	36.8	7.27
1957	9,539	394,870	81,000	314,000	41.4	8.5	32.9	6.83
1958	9,858	410,885	75,000	336,000	41.7	7.6	34.1	6.48
1959	10,227	421,458	74,000	347,000	41.2	7.2	33.9	5.98
1960	10,602	419,442	74,000	345,000	39.5	7.0	32.5	5.75
1961	10,983	420,254	74,000	346,254	38.3	6.7	31.5	5.58
1962	11,312	423,469	72,000	351,469	37.4	6.4	31.1	5.46
1963	11,680	424,250	71,000	353,250	36.3	6.1	30.2	5.35
1964	12,088	416,926	69,000	347,926	34.5	5.7	28.8	5.10
1965	12,442	406,604	67,887	338,717	32.7	5.5	27.2	4.82
1966	12,812	415,108	69,778	345,330	32.4	5.4	27.0	4.95
1967	13,147	374,282	71,861	302,421	28.5	5.5	23.0	4.22
1968	13,474	394,260	73,650	320,610	29.3	5.5	23.8	4.36
1969	13,995	390,728	70,549	320,179	27.9	5.0	22.9	4.14
1970	14,507	394,015	71,135	322,883	27.2	4.9	22.3	4.00
1971	14,837	380,424	70,954	309,470	25.6	4.8	20.9	3.70
1972	15,145	365,749	71,486	294,263	24.1	4.7	19.4	3.36
1973	15,424	366,942	73,477	293,465	23.8	4.8	19.0	3.21
1974	15,699	355,933	74,760	293,063	23.4	4.8	18.7	2.94
1975	15,999	357,653	75,061	292,586	23.0	4.7	18.3	2.76
1976	16,298	424,075	77,000	347,075	26.0	4.7	21.3	3.08
1977	16,601	393,633	79,000	316,796	23.7	4.8	19.1	2.64
1978	16,951	411,637	79,000	330,203	24.3	4.7	19.5	2.71
1979	17,337	421,720	82,000	340,518	24.3	4.7	19.6	2.67
1980	17,608	413,881	84,333	329,548	23.5	4.8	18.7	2.51
1981	17,972	414,069	87,192	326,877	23.0	4.9	18.2	2.45
1982	18,261	405,263	87,578	317,685	22.2	4.8	17.4	2.32
1983	18,538	383,439	90,951	292,488	20.7	4.9	15.8	2.17
1984	18,873	371,008	89,915	281,093	19.7	4.8	14.9	2.05
1985	19,135	346,208	92,348	253,860	18.1	4.8	13.3	1.88
1986	19,356	309,230	95,057	214,173	16.0	4.9	11.1	1.68
1987	19,564	314,024	96,319	217,705	16.1	4.9	11.1	1.70
1988	19,788	342,031	102,113	239,918	17.3	5.2	12.1	1.86
1989	20,004	315,299	103,288	212,011	15.8	5.2	10.6	1.68
1990	20,230	335,618	105,669	229,949	16.6	5.2	11.4	1.81
1991	20,455	321,932	106,284	215,648	15.7	5.2	10.5	1.72
1992	20,655	321,632	110,516	211,116	15.6	5.4	10.2	1.73
1993	20,848	325,613	110,901	214,712	15.6	5.3	10.3	1.76
1994	21,087	322,938	113,866	209,072	15.3	5.4	9.9	1.76
1995	21,268	329,581	119,112	210,469	15.5	5.6	9.9	1.78
1996	21,441	325,545	122,489	203,056	15.2	5.7	9.5	1.76
1997	21,634	326,002	121,000	205,002	15.1	5.6	9.5	1.77
1998	21,836	271,450	123,180	148,270	12.4	5.6	6.8	1.47
1999	22,011	283,661	126,113	157,548	12.9	5.7	7.2	1.56
2000	22,185	305,312	125,957	179,355	13.8	5.7	8.1	1.68
2001	22,342	260,354	127,647	132,707	11.7	5.7	5.9	1.40
2002	22,464	247,530	128,636	118,894	11.0	5.7	5.3	1.34
2003	22,554	227,070	130,801	96,269	10.1	5.8	4.3	1.24
2004	22,647	216,419	135,092	81,327	9.6	6.0	3.6	1.18
2005	22,730	205,854	139,398	66,456	9.1	6.1	2.9	1.12
2006	22,824	204,459	135,839	68,620	9.0	6.0	3.0	1.12
2007	22,918	204,414	141,111	63 303	8.9	6.2	2.8	1.10
2008	22,998	198,733	143,624	55,109	8.6	6.2	2.4	1.05
2009	23,079	191,310	143,582	47,728	8.3	6.2	2.1	1.03
2010	23,141	166,886	145,772	21,114	7.2	6.3	0.9	0.90
2011	23,194	196,627	152,915	43,712	8.5	6.6	1.9	1.07
2012	23,271	229,481	154,251	75,230	9.9	6.6	3.2	1.27
2013	23,345	199,113	155,908	43,205	8.5	6.7	1.8	1.07
2014	23,434	210,383	163,929	46,454	9.0	7.0	2.0	1.17
2015	23,472	213,598	163,858	49,740	9.1	7.0	2.1	1.18
2016	23,540	208,440	172,405	36,035	8.8	7.3	1.5	1.17
2017	23,571	193,844	171,242	22,602	8.2	7.3	0.9	1.13
2018	23,589	181,601	172,784	8,817	7.7	7.3	0.4	1.06
2019	23,603	177,767	176,296	1,471	7.5	7.5	0.0	1.05
2020	23,561	165,249	173,156	-7,907	7.0	7.4	-0.4	0.99
2021	23,359	153,820	183,732	-29,912	6.6	7.9	-1.3	0.98
* CBR=crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR=crude deathrate (per 1000); NC=natural change (per 1000); TFR=total fertility rate

Current vital statistics

Period	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase
January–October 2021	125,636	152,433	-26,797
January–October 2022	114,460	171,826	-57,366
Difference	-11,176 (-8.89%)	+19,393 (+12.72%)	-30,569

Fertility rate

The fertility rate in Taiwan is one of the lowest ever recorded in the world in historical times. It reached its lowest level in 2010: 0.90 children per female. In 1980, the rate was still well above replacement level (2.515), but it dropped to 1.88 in 1985, 1.81 in 1990, 1.78 in 1995, 1.68 in 2000, 1.12 in 2005.

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Historical development of life expectancy in Taiwan

Taiwan is ranked 39th in the world for highest life expectancy at birth.

Gender	Life expectancy in 2009
Male	75.88 years
Female	82.46 years

Fertility trend

In developed countries, trends like late marriage, no marriage, and having fewer children are growing. Developed countries tend to have lower fertility rates because access to birth control and contraceptives are easier and having children could become an economic burden caused by housing, education cost, and other costs for childcare. Most women in developed countries are in the workforce and tend to have higher educations and professional careers. As a result, many women tend to have children late in life or no children at all.

According to the BBC, the total fertility rate in Taiwan had decreased to 0.9 children per woman in 2010. This figure is much lower than the replacement level and one of the lowest in the world. This indicates the population is experiencing negative growth and population aging is happening fast. According to a Central News Agency Report, total births in 2017 were below 200,000. Compared to previous decades, the total number of births since 2000 has been between 197,000 and 230,000. If this trend continues, the senior population in Taiwan will be almost 5 times higher than the youth population by 2060.

HIV/AIDS

Main article: HIV/AIDS in Taiwan

The first reported case of HIV/AIDS occurred in December 1984 and the first local infection was recorded in February 1986. As of May 2006, there were 11,486 recorded cases of HIV, of which 2,631 were confirmed with AIDS. There were 1,425 deaths, leaving 10,029 people living with HIV/AIDS. This is less than 0.05% of the total population of Taiwan. Statistics by the Center for Disease Control show that the gender distribution of infected persons was 90% male and 10% female.

Data	Population
Adult prevalence	11,486
People living with HIV/AIDS	10,029
Deaths	1,425

Source: Center for Disease Control (CDC), Republic of China – May 2006 est.(PDF file) (in Chinese)

Military personnel

Main articles: Conscription in Taiwan and Republic of China Armed Forces

The Republic of China has a compulsory military draft for males aged 19–35 years of age with a service obligation of 12 months (2008).

Population available for draft

Defined as 19–49 years of age.

Gender	Population
Male	5,883,828
Female	5,680,773
Total	11,564,601

Fit for military service

Of the available population, the following are fit for military service. Defined as 19–49 years of age.

Gender	Population
Male	4,749,537
Female	4,644,607
Total	9,394,144

Education

Main article: Education in Taiwan

Taiwan has a nine-year compulsory education program initiated by the Ministry of Education in 1968. This consists of six years in elementary education and three years in junior high education. About 94.7% of junior high graduates continue their studies in either a senior high or vocational school . Reflecting a strong commitment to education, in FY 2001 16% of the ROC budget was allocated for education . The enrollment rate was 96.77% for the 2004–2005 school year. For the 2005–2006 school year, there were 5,283,855 students in both public and private schools, about a quarter of the entire population. The literacy rate is above 95%.

Since the mid-1990s, the government has introduced several education reforms in a bid to further improve education standards such as the replacement in 2002 of the 48-year-long Joint University Entrance Examination (JUEE; 大學聯考; Dàxué liánkǎo), which had been set up in 1954.

See also: List of universities in Taiwan

Distribution of students

Sector	Education	Years of study	Typical Age range	Students	Distribution
Pre-school	Kindergarten	(2 years)	4–6 years old	224,220	4.2%
Compulsory	Elementary	6 years	6–12 years old	1,831,913	34.7%
	Junior High	3 years	12–15 years old	951,236	18%
Senior Secondary	Senior High	3 years	15–18 years old	420,608	8%
	Senior Vocation	3 years	15–18 years old	331,604	6.3%
Higher Education	Junior College	2–5 years	15–20 years old	37,068	0.7%
	University & College	4–7 years (up to 13 years)	18–25 years old (up to 31 years old)	1,259,490	23.8%
Other	Special School	up to 14 years	4–18 years old	6,361	0.1%
	Supplementary School	n/a	n/a	200,573	3.8%
	Open University	n/a	n/a	20,782	0.4%
Total				5,283,855	100%

Source: Number of students at each level (SY 2005–2006), Ministry of Education, Republic of China.

Literacy

The definition of literacy is those aged 15 and over who can read and write.

Gender	Population
Male	99.6%
Female	96.8%
Total	98.2%

"International Comparison of Education Statistical Indicators – 2012 Edition", Ministry of Education, 2012. pp. 17. Retrieved on 2012-10-05. (Table 1-2-5. Literacy Rate for Age 15 Plus by Gender).

2.02 Population of 15 Years and Over by Educational Attainment Archived 2013-02-17 at the Wayback Machine, Statistical Yearbook of Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of China (Taiwan). 2012. Retrieved on 10-05-2012.

Data source limitations

The World Bank does not publish data on Taiwan in most of its online databases.

Bibliography

• Brown, Melissa J. (2004). Is Taiwan Chinese? : The Impact of Culture, Power and Migration on Changing Identities. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-23182-1.
• Davidson, James W. (1903). The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects : tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions. London and New York: Macmillan. OCLC 1887893. OL 6931635M.
• The Republic of China Yearbook 2014 (PDF). Executive Yuan, R.O.C. 2014. ISBN 9789860423020. Retrieved 2016-06-11.

External links

Media related to Demographics of Taiwan at Wikimedia Commons