Taiwan

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 5,831,470 (2019 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 25 (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

total subscriptions: 10 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 29.8 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 128 (2024 est.)

Agricultural products

rice, vegetables, pork, chicken, cabbages, milk, sugarcane, tropical fruits, pineapples, eggs (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Average household expenditures

on food: 13.8% of household expenditures (2023 est.) on alcohol and tobacco: 2.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

Budget

revenues: $94.943 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $105.833 billion (2019 est.)

Current account balance

$105.076 billion (2023 est.) $101.032 billion (2022 est.) $118.298 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

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

New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar - 32.108 (2024 est.) 31.15 (2023 est.) 29.777 (2022 est.) 28.022 (2021 est.) 28.211 (2020 est.)

Exports

$432.432 billion (2023 est.) $479.415 billion (2022 est.) $446.371 billion (2021 est.) note: figures complied according to the General Trade System - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports - commodities

integrated circuits, machine parts, broadcasting equipment, computers, plastics (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

China 20%, USA 17%, Hong Kong 13%, Singapore 9%, Japan 7% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$611.391 billion (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 48.3% (2023 est.) government consumption: 13.3% (2023 est.) investment in fixed capital: 23.7% (2023 est.) investment in inventories: -0.6% (2023 est.) exports of goods and services: 64% (2023 est.) imports of goods and services: -49.1% (2023 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

33.9 (2023 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

Imports

$351.441 billion (2023 est.) $428.083 billion (2022 est.) $381.958 billion (2021 est.) note: figures complied according to the General Trade System - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Imports - commodities

integrated circuits, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, coal (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

China 21%, Japan 13%, USA 11%, S. Korea 9%, Australia 5% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

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)

2.2% (2024 est.) 2.5% (2023 est.) 2.9% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Public debt

35.7% of GDP (2017 est.) note: data for central government

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.743 trillion (2023 est.) $1.664 trillion (2022 est.) $1.512 trillion (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

1.28% (2023 est.) 2.59% (2022 est.) 6.62% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per capita

$32,300 (2023 est.) $32,600 (2022 est.) $32,900 (2021 est.) note: data are in current dollars

Unemployment rate

3.4% (2024 est.) 3.5% (2023 est.) 3.7% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Coal

production: 5.212 million metric tons (2023 est.) consumption: 64.609 million metric tons (2023 est.) exports: 47,000 metric tons (2023 est.) imports: 58.15 million metric tons (2023 est.) proven reserves: 1 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 64.535 million kW (2023 est.) consumption: 270.648 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 7.907 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 84.2% 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.) hydroelectricity: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) biomass and waste: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

206.102 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Natural gas

production: 60.761 million cubic meters (2023 est.) consumption: 27.222 billion cubic meters (2023 est.) imports: 26.997 billion cubic meters (2023 est.) proven reserves: 6.23 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Nuclear energy

Number of operational nuclear reactors: 1 (2025) Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 0.94GW (2025 est.) Percent of total electricity production: 6.9% (2023 est.) Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 5 (2025)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 800 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 954,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 2.38 million barrels (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

289.109 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 140.734 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 92.014 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from consumed natural gas: 56.361 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Climate

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

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

Land use

agricultural land: 22% (2023 est.) arable land: 16.6% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 5.4% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.) forest: 0% (2022 est.) other: 78% (2022 est.)

Total renewable water resources

67 cubic meters (2011)

Urbanization

urban population: 80.1% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 7.336 million tons (2015 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 13.8% (2022 est.)

Area

total : 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Kinmen islands

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.) arable land: 16.6% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 5.4% (2023 est.) 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

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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

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) note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems for names; a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, but the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names; other local authorities use different romanization systems

Capital

name: Taipei geographic coordinates: 25 02 N, 121 31 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) 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

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

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

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: Taiwan former: Formosa 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"

Diplomatic representation from the US

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) mailing address: 4170 AIT Taipei Place, Washington DC 20521-4170 telephone: [886] 2-2162-2000 FAX: [886] 2-2162-2251 email address and website: TaipeiACS@state.gov https://www.ait.org.tw/ branch office(s): American Institute in Taiwan No. 100, Jinhu Road, Neihu District 11461, Taipei City other offices: Kaohsiung (Branch Office)

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 Note : commercial and cultural relations with its citizens in the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), a private nonprofit corporation that performs citizen and consular services similar to those at diplomatic posts, represented by Ambassador Alexander YUI (since 11 December 2023); office: 4201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016; telephone: [1] (202) 895-1800; fax: [1] (202) 363-0999

Executive branch

chief of state: President LAI Ching-te (since 20 May 2024) head of government: Premier CHO Jung-tai (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 20 May 2024) cabinet: Executive Yuan; ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier 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 most recent election date: 13 January 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% expected date of next election: 2028

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 note: similar to the flag of Samoa

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) note: separate customs territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu

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

legislature name: Legislative Yuan legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 113 (directly elected) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 13 January 2024 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% expected date of next election: January 2028

National anthem(s)

title: "Zhonghua Minguo guoge" (National Anthem of the Republic of China) lyrics/music: HU Han-min, TAI Chi-t'ao, and LIAO Chung-k'ai/CHENG Mao-yun 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

National color(s)

blue, white, red

National holiday

Republic Day (National Day), 10 October (1911) note: celebrates the anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, also known as Double Ten (10-10) Day

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 note: the DPP and the KMT are the two major political parties; more than 30 parties garnered votes in the 2024 election

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

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.

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) note: the CGA is a law enforcement organization with homeland security functions during peacetime and national defense missions during wartime

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

2.4% of GDP (2024 est.) 2.5% of GDP (2023 est.) 2.1% of GDP (2022 est.) 2.1% of GDP (2021 est.) 2.1% of GDP (2020 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) note: in January 2024, Taiwan extended compulsory service from 4 to 12 months for men born in 2005 and thereafter

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

total dependency ratio: 46.5 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 17.7 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 28.7 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 3.5 (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% note 1: there are 16 officially recognized indigenous groups: Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Hla'alua, Kanakaravu, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiyat, Sakizaya, Seediq, Thao, Truku, Tsou, and Yami; Amis, Paiwan, and Atayal are the largest and account for roughly 70% of the indigenous population note 2: although not definitive, the majority of current genetic, archeological, and linguistic data support the theory that Taiwan is the ultimate source for the spread of humans across the Pacific to Polynesia; the expansion (ca. 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1200) took place via the Philippines and eastern Indonesia and reached Fiji and Tonga by about 900 B.C.; from there voyagers spread across the rest of the Pacific islands over the next two millennia

Gross reproduction rate

0.54 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births

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

total population: 81.6 years (2024 est.) male: 78.6 years female: 84.7 years

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

total: 45.1 years (2025 est.) male: 43.6 years female: 45.5 years

Nationality

noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) adjective: Taiwan (or Taiwanese) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan

Net migration rate

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

Population

total: 23,600,776 (2025 est.) male: 11,596,835 female: 12,003,941

Population distribution

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

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

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.12 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 80.1% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.65% annual rate of change (2020-25 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)

Illicit drugs

USG identification: major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: 380 (2024 est.)

Airports

57 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

B

Heliports

56 (2025)

Merchant marine

total: 465 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 29, container ship 53, general cargo 58, oil tanker 35, other 290

Ports

total ports: 8 (2024) large: 1 medium: 3 small: 2 very small: 2 ports with oil terminals: 8 key ports: Chi-Lung, Hua-Lien Kang, Kao-Hsiung, Su-Ao

Railways

total: 1,613.1 km (2018) standard gauge: 345 km (2018) 1.435-m gauge (345 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,118.1 km (2018) 1.067-m gauge (793.9 km electrified) 150 0.762-m gauge note: the 0.762-gauge track belongs to three entities: the Forestry Bureau, Taiwan Cement, and TaiPower