Taiwan

East and Southeast Asia Taipei

Population

23.60M

Area

35,980 km²

GDP

$611.39B

GDP Per Capita

$32,300

Pop. Density

656/km²

Quick Facts

Currency

$New Taiwan dollar(TWD)

Calling Code

+886

Timezone

UTC+08:00

Languages

Chinese

Driving Side

right

Demonym

Taiwanese

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.

Geography17

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

Geographic coordinates

23 30 N, 121 00 E

Map references

Southeast Asia

Area

total : 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km
water: 3,720 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

1,566.3 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

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

Terrain

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

Elevation

highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 1,150 m

Natural resources

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

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.)

Irrigated land

3,820 sq km (2012)

Population distribution

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

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

Geography - note

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

People & Society20

Population

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

Nationality

noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)
adjective: Taiwan (or Taiwanese)

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%

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.

Religions

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

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)

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.)

Median age

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

Population growth rate

0.02% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Net migration rate

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

Population distribution

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

Urbanization

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

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.)

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

Life expectancy at birth

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

Total fertility rate

1.12 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.54 (2025 est.)

Government21

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"

Government type

semi-presidential republic

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

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)

Legal system

civil law system

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

International law organization participation

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

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

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

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

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

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

Political parties

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

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

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

[email protected]

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)

International organization participation

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

National holiday

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

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

National symbol(s)

white sun with 12 rays on a blue field

National color(s)

blue, white, red

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

Economy22

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

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $1.743 trillion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $1.664 trillion (2022 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021: $1.512 trillion (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2023: 1.28% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 2.59% (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2021: 6.62% (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2023: $32,300 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $32,600 (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2021: $32,900 (2021 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$611.391 billion (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 2.2% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 2.5% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 2.9% (2022 est.)

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.)

Agricultural products

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

Industries

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

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2024: 3.4% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 3.5% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 3.7% (2022 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2023: 33.9 (2023 est.)

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.)

Public debt

Public debt 2017: 35.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2023: $105.076 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: $101.032 billion (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2021: $118.298 billion (2021 est.)

Exports

Exports 2023: $432.432 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $479.415 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2021: $446.371 billion (2021 est.)

Exports - partners

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

Exports - commodities

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

Imports

Imports 2023: $351.441 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $428.083 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2021: $381.958 billion (2021 est.)

Imports - partners

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

Imports - commodities

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

Exchange rates

Currency

New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

32.108 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

31.15 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

29.777 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

28.022 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

28.211 (2020 est.)

Energy7

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.)

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)

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.)

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.)

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.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 206.102 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Communications6

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.)

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.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

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

Transportation6

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports

57 (2025)

Heliports

56 (2025)

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)

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

medium

small

very small

ports with oil terminals

key ports

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

Military & Security6

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 expenditures

Military Expenditures 2024: 2.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Military Expenditures 2023: 2.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022: 2.1% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021: 2.1% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

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 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)

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)

Transnational Issues2

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: 380 (2024 est.)

Illicit drugs

USG identification:
major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

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