2020 Edition

Background

First inhabited by Austronesian people, Taiwan became home to Han immigrants beginning in the late Ming Dynasty (17th century). In 1895, military defeat forced China's Qing Dynasty to cede Taiwan to Japan, which then governed Taiwan for 50 years. Taiwan came under Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang, KMT) control after World War II. With the communist victory in the Chinese civil war in 1949, the Nationalist-controlled Republic of China government and 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and continued to claim to be the legitimate government for mainland China and Taiwan, based on a 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. Until 1987, however, the Nationalist Government ruled Taiwan under a civil war martial law declaration dating to 1948. Beginning in the 1970s, Nationalist authorities gradually began to incorporate the native population into the governing structure beyond the local level. The democratization process expanded rapidly in the 1980s, leading to the then-illegal founding of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan’s first opposition party, in 1986 and the lifting of martial law the following year. Taiwan held legislative elections in 1992, the first in over 40 years, and its first direct presidential election in 1996. In the 2000 presidential elections, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power with the KMT loss to the DPP and afterwards experienced two additional democratic transfers of power in 2008 and 2016. Throughout this period, the island prospered and turned into one of East Asia's economic "Tigers," becoming a major investor in mainland China after 2000 as cross-Strait ties matured. The dominant political issues continue to be economic reform and growth, as well as management of sensitive relations between Taiwan and China.

Area

land

32,260 sq km

total

35,980 sq km

water

3,720 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Climate

tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); persistent and extensive cloudiness all year

Coastline

1,566.3 km

Elevation

highest point

Yu Shan 3,952 m

lowest point

South China Sea 0 m

mean elevation

1,150 m

Geographic coordinates

23 30 N, 121 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait

Irrigated land

3,820 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

22% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 16.6% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 5.4% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)

forest

0% (2022 est.)

other

78% (2022 est.)

Location

Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China

Map references

Southeast Asia

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

earthquakes; typhoons volcanism: Kueishantao Island (401 m), east of Taiwan, is the only historically active volcano, but it has not erupted in centuries

Natural resources

small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, asbestos, arable land

Population distribution

distribution exhibits a peripheral coastal settlement pattern, with the largest populations on the north and west coasts

Terrain

eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west

Age structure

0-14 years

12.1% (male 1,472,059/female 1,391,031)

15-64 years

69% (male 8,132,356/female 8,155,582)

65 years and over

18.8% (2024 est.) (male 2,002,076/female 2,442,170)

Birth rate

7.22 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

8.18 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

28.7 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

3.5 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

46.5 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

17.7 (2025 est.)

Ethnic groups

Han Chinese (including Holo, who compose approximately 70% of Taiwan's population, Hakka, and other groups originating in mainland China) more than 95%, indigenous Malayo-Polynesian peoples 2.3%

Gross reproduction rate

0.54 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

3.5 deaths/1,000 live births

male

4.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

Languages

Mandarin (official), Min Nan, Hakka dialects, approximately 16 indigenous languages

major-language sample(s)

世界概況  –  不可缺少的基本消息來源 (Mandarin) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

84.7 years

male

78.6 years

total population

81.6 years (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

4.504 million New Taipei City, 2.754 million TAIPEI (capital), 2.319 million Taoyuan, 1.553 million Kaohsiung, 1.369 million Taichung, 863,000 Tainan (2023)

Median age

female

45.5 years

male

43.6 years

total

45.1 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Taiwan (or Taiwanese)

noun

Taiwan (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

1.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population

female

12,003,941

male

11,596,835

total

23,600,776 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

0.02% (2025 est.)

Religions

Buddhist 35.3%, Taoist 33.2%, Christian 3.9%, folk religion (includes Confucian) approximately 10%, none or unspecified 18.2% (2005 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.82 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.12 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

80.1% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

includes main island of Taiwan, plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 13 counties (xian, singular and plural), 3 cities (shi, singular and plural), and 6 special municipalities directly under the jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan counties: Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu, Hualien, Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taitung, Yilan, Yunlin cities: Chiayi, Hsinchu, Keelung special municipalities: Kaohsiung (city), New Taipei (city), Taichung (city), Tainan (city), Taipei (city), Taoyuan (city)

Capital

etymology

the name means "Northern Taiwan," from the Chinese words tai (a short form of Taiwan) and bei (north), reflecting the city's position in the far north of the island

geographic coordinates

25 02 N, 121 31 E

name

Taipei

time difference

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Taiwan

dual citizenship recognized

yes, except that citizens of Taiwan are not recognized as dual citizens of the People's Republic of China

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Constitution

amendment process

proposed by at least one fourth of the Legislative Yuan membership; passage requires approval by at least three-fourths majority vote of at least three fourths of the Legislative Yuan membership and approval in a referendum by more than half of eligible voters

history

previous 1912, 1931; latest adopted 25 December 1946, promulgated 1 January 1947, effective 25 December 1947

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Taiwan

etymology

the name may derive from the Chinese words tai (terrace) and wan (bay), referring to the island's terrain; in 1590, the Portuguese named it Formosa, meaning "beautiful"

former

Formosa

local long form

none

local short form

Taiwan

Diplomatic representation from the US

branch office(s)

American Institute in Taiwan No. 100, Jinhu Road, Neihu District 11461, Taipei City

chief of mission

the US does not have an embassy in Taiwan; commercial and cultural relations with the people of Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts; it is managed by Director Raymond F. GREENE (since 8 July 2024)

email address and website

TaipeiACS@state.gov https://www.ait.org.tw/

FAX

[886] 2-2162-2251

mailing address

4170 AIT Taipei Place, Washington DC 20521-4170

other offices

Kaohsiung (Branch Office)

telephone

[886] 2-2162-2000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

none

Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (branch offices)

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver (CO), Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Yuan; ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier

chief of state

President LAI Ching-te (since 20 May 2024)

election results

2024: LAI Ching-te elected president; percent of vote - LAI Ching-te (DPP) 40.1%, HOU Yu-ih (KMT) 33.5%, KO Wen-je (TPP) 26.5%) 2020: TSAI Ing-wen reelected president; percent of vote - TSAI Ing-wen (DPP) 57.1%, HAN Kuo-yu (KMT) 38.6%, James SOONG (PFP) 4.3%

election/appointment process

president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple-majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier

expected date of next election

2028

head of government

Premier CHO Jung-tai (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 20 May 2024)

most recent election date

13 January 2024

Flag

description: red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper-left corner, bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays meaning: blue stands for liberty, justice, and democracy; red for fraternity, sacrifice, and nationalism; white for equality, frankness, and the people's livelihood; the 12 rays represent the months of the year and the traditional Chinese hours (each ray equals two hours) history: the blue-and-white design of the canton (symbolizing the sun of progress) dates to 1895

Government type

semi-presidential republic

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ADB (Chinese Taipei), APEC (Chinese Taipei), BCIE, CABEI, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), SICA (observer), WTO (Chinese Taipei)

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and approximately 100 judges organized into civil and criminal panels, each with a chief justice and 4 associate justices); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 13 justices)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court justices appointed for life by the president; Constitutional Court justices appointed by the president, with approval of the Legislative Yuan, for 8-year terms, with half the membership renewed every 4 years

subordinate courts

high courts; district courts; hierarchy of administrative courts

Legal system

civil law system

Legislative branch

electoral system

plurality/majority

expected date of next election

January 2028

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

Legislative Yuan

most recent election date

13 January 2024

number of seats

113 (directly elected)

parties elected and seats per party

Kuomintang (KMT) 52, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) 51, Taiwan People's Party (TPP) 8, independent 2

percentage of women in chamber

41.6%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

4 years

National anthem(s)

history

adopted 1937; also the song of the Kuomintang Party; informally known as "San Min Chu I" or "San Min Zhu Yi" (Three Principles of the People); the anthem is banned from performance in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau

lyrics/music

HU Han-min, TAI Chi-t'ao, and LIAO Chung-k'ai/CHENG Mao-yun

title

"Zhonghua Minguo guoge" (National Anthem of the Republic of China)

National color(s)

blue, white, red

National holiday

Republic Day (National Day), 10 October (1911)

National symbol(s)

white sun with 12 rays on a blue field

Political parties

Democratic Progressive Party or DPP  Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party)  Taiwan People's Party or TPP

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

rice, vegetables, pork, chicken, cabbages, milk, sugarcane, tropical fruits, pineapples, eggs (2023)

Average household expenditures

on alcohol and tobacco

2.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on food

13.8% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$105.833 billion (2019 est.)

revenues

$94.943 billion (2019 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2021

$118.298 billion (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

$101.032 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

$105.076 billion (2023 est.)

Economic overview

high-income East Asian economy; most technologically advanced computer microchip manufacturing; increasing Chinese interference threatens market capabilities; minimum wages rising; longstanding regional socioeconomic inequality

Exchange rates

Currency

New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

28.211 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

28.022 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

29.777 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

31.15 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

32.108 (2024 est.)

Exports

Exports 2021

$446.371 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$479.415 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$432.432 billion (2023 est.)

Exports - commodities

integrated circuits, machine parts, broadcasting equipment, computers, plastics (2023)

Exports - partners

China 20%, USA 17%, Hong Kong 13%, Singapore 9%, Japan 7% (2023)

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

64% (2023 est.)

government consumption

13.3% (2023 est.)

household consumption

48.3% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-49.1% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

23.7% (2023 est.)

investment in inventories

-0.6% (2023 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$611.391 billion (2023 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2023

33.9 (2023 est.)

Imports

Imports 2021

$381.958 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$428.083 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$351.441 billion (2023 est.)

Imports - commodities

integrated circuits, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, coal (2023)

Imports - partners

China 21%, Japan 13%, USA 11%, S. Korea 9%, Australia 5% (2023)

Industries

electronics, communications and information technology products, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

2.9% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

2.5% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

2.2% (2024 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2017

35.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$1.512 trillion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$1.664 trillion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$1.743 trillion (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2021

6.62% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

2.59% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

1.28% (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2021

$32,900 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$32,600 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$32,300 (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2022

3.7% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

3.5% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

3.4% (2024 est.)

Coal

consumption

64.609 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports

47,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports

58.15 million metric tons (2023 est.)

production

5.212 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves

1 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

consumption

270.648 billion kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

64.535 million kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

7.907 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

1.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

fossil fuels

84.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectricity

1.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

nuclear

6.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar

4.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

wind

2.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023

206.102 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

27.222 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports

26.997 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

production

60.761 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves

6.23 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Nuclear energy

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors

0.94GW (2025 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down

5 (2025)

Number of operational nuclear reactors

1 (2025)

Percent of total electricity production

6.9% (2023 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil estimated reserves

2.38 million barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

954,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

total petroleum production

800 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

25 (2019 est.)

total

5,831,470 (2019 est.)

Broadcast media

5 national TV networks with about 22 stations; over 300 satellite TV channels available; about half of households use multi-channel cable TV; almost all subscribe to digital cable TV; national and regional radio networks with about 171 radio stations (2023)

Internet country code

.tw

Internet users

percent of population

90% (2021 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

43 (2023 est.)

total subscriptions

10 million (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

128 (2024 est.)

total subscriptions

29.8 million (2024 est.)

Airports

57 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

B

Heliports

56 (2025)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 29, container ship 53, general cargo 58, oil tanker 35, other 290

total

465 (2023)

Ports

key ports

Chi-Lung, Hua-Lien Kang, Kao-Hsiung, Su-Ao

large

1

medium

3

ports with oil terminals

8

small

2

total ports

8 (2024)

very small

2

Railways

narrow gauge

1,118.1 km (2018) 1.067-m gauge (793.9 km electrified)

standard gauge

345 km (2018) 1.435-m gauge (345 km electrified)

total

1,613.1 km (2018)

Military - note

the military’s primary responsibility is external security, including the defense and protection of the country’s air space, maritime claims, sea lines of communications, sovereignty, and territory; its main focus is the challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China (2025)

Military and security forces

Taiwan Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Information Communication and Electronic Force (ICEF) Ocean Affairs Council: Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Ministry of Interior: National Police (2025)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 170,000 active duty Armed Forces (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory is a mix of domestically produced and foreign-supplied armaments, mostly from the US either as secondhand or direct acquisitions; Taiwan's domestic defense industry produces weapons systems such as aircraft, armored vehicles, missiles, and naval platforms (2025)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2020

2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

2.1% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

2.1% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

2.5% of GDP (2023 est.)

Military Expenditures 2024

2.4% of GDP (2024 est.)

Military service age and obligation

men 18-36 years of age may volunteer or must complete 12 months of compulsory military service; civil service can be substituted for military service in some cases; women can volunteer (2025)

Illicit drugs

USG identification

major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

380 (2024 est.)

Key space-program milestones

1997 - launched first sounding rocket 1999 - first scientific satellite (FORMOSAT-1) built and launched by the US 2004 - first remote sensing (RS) satellite (FORMOSAT-2) built by France and launched by US 2017 - first domestically built RS satellite (FORMOSAT-5) launched by US  2021 - initiated development of a commercial 3-stage, hybrid-engine rocket (Hapith-5) 2023 - first domestically made RS/meteorological satellite (FormoSat-7R/Triton) launched on European rocket

Space agency/agencies

Taiwan Space Agency (TASA; renamed and reorganized in 2023 from the former National Space Program Organization or NSPO, which was established in 1991) (2025)

Space launch site(s)

sounding rockets launched from Jui Peng Air Base (Pingtung); has announced intentions to build a future national space port on the southeast coast (Pingtung) (2025)

Space program overview

has had a national space program since the early 1990s, with a focus on acquiring satellites and developing independent space capabilities, such as rocket manufacturing and satellite launch services; manufactures and operates satellites and sounding rockets; researching and developing other space technologies, including remote sensing, telecommunications, small satellites, satellite payloads and ground station components, spacecraft components, navigational control, and rocket propulsion systems; has bilateral relations with the space programs of France, India, Japan, Paraguay, Poland, the UK, and the US; has a commercial space industry that provides components and expertise for the Taiwan Space Agency and is independently developing satellites and a small satellite launch vehicle; the government passed a space promotion act in 2021 to encourage private investment in the space industry (2025)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

140.734 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from consumed natural gas

56.361 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

92.014 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

289.109 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal

Total renewable water resources

67 cubic meters (2011)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

7.336 million tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

13.8% (2022 est.)