Demographics of Taiwan

Updated on Oct 31, 2023

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This article is about the demographic features of the population in Taiwan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The population in Taiwan is approximately 23.4 million, spread across a total land area of about 36,000 km²; it is the seventeenth most densely populated country in the world with a population density of about 650 inhabitants per square kilometer.

The original population of the island of Taiwan and its associated islands, i.e. not including Kinmen and the Matsu Islands, consisted of Taiwanese aborigines, speaking Austronesian languages and sharing mitochondrial DNA contribution with island peoples of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. 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, stimulated by the import of workers from Fujian by the Dutch in the 17th century. According to governmental statistics, over 95% of the Republic of China's population is now made up of Han Chinese, while 2.3% are Taiwanese aborigines. Half the population are followers of one or a mixture of 25 recognized religions. Around 93% of the religious population are followers of a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, while a minority 4.5% are followers of Christianity.

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, very high fertility rates up to the 1960s, and low mortality rates, and a surge in population as the Chinese Civil War ended, and the Kuomintang (KMT) forces retreated, bringing an influx of 1.2 to 2 million soldiers and civilians to Taiwan in 1948–1949. Consequently, the natural growth rate was very rapid, especially in the late 1940s and 1950s, with an effective annual growth rate as high as 3.68% during 1951–1956. Including the Kuomintang forces, which accounted in 1950 for about 25% of all persons on Taiwan, immigration of mainland Chinese (now approximately 13% of the present population) at the end of the 1940s was a major factor in the high population growth of Taiwan.

Fertility rates decreased gradually thereafter, and 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 and in 2010 Taiwan was experiencing a population growth of less than 0.2% and a fertility rate of only 0.9, which is the lowest rate ever recorded in Taiwan. The population of Taiwan is projected to peak at about 23.7 million in 2024 and decrease thereafter.

The official national language is Standard Chinese, although around 70% also speak Taiwanese Hokkien 10% speak Hakka. Japanese speakers are becoming rare as the elderly generation who lived under Japanese rule are dying out. Aboriginal languages are gradually becoming extinct as the aborigines have become acculturated despite a program by the ROC government to preserve the languages.

Population

According to May 2006 statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the population of Taiwan was 22,805,547, 99.6% of which live on island of Taiwan. The remaining 0.4% (82,618) live on offshore islands (Penghu, Lanyu, Green, Kinmen and Matsu).

Taiwan is ranked the 50th most populous nation in the world.

Historical

The number of Chinese in the island in 1624, prior to Dutch rule, was about 25,000. It is estimated that prior to Kingdom of Tungning (1661) the population of Taiwan was no greater than 100,000 people, and the initial Zheng army with family and retainers that settled in Taiwan is estimated to be 30,000 at minimum. By 1682 there were only 7,000 Chinese left on Taiwan as they had intermarried with aboriginal women and had property in Taiwan. 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 by the end of World War II in 1946 it numbered 6.09 million.

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 1000 inhabitants per year.

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.1 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Nationality

The people from Taiwan identify themselves as Taiwanese (台灣人 Táiwānrén).

Ethnicity (Overview)

The ethnic groups of Taiwan may be roughly divided among Chinese Taiwanese (84%), mainland Chinese (14%), and indigenous peoples (2%). The ROC government reports that over 95% of the population is Han Chinese, which includes Hoklo, Hakka and other groups from mainland China.

Han people

The majority of the Han group descends from immigrants who arrived to the island prior to Japanese rule (1895–1945) and can be classified as the Hoklos and Hakkas, on the basis of language and customs. As the majority of the 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 aboriginal 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 the Han group are the Hakkas, who comprise about 15% of the total population. The Hakkas emigrated chiefly from eastern Guangdong, speak the Hakka language, and originally took up residence in the hills of the aboriginal border districts.

About 14% of the total population are "mainland Chinese", relating to immigrants who followed the ROC relocation from mainland China to Taiwan in 1949. While most of this group were Han Chinese, some of this influx were other of other ethnicities.

Aboriginal

The total population of recognized aborigines on Taiwan is approximately 533,600, or approximately 2.28% of Taiwan's population. The aborigines inhabit the eastern half of Taiwan which consists mostly of mountainous terrain.

Note: Source data obtained from ROC Ministry of the Interior website (Spreadsheet data: m1-04.xls)

The ROC government officially recognizes sixteen aborigine tribes (原住民; yuánzhùmín; literally "original inhabitants"). These are: Ami, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Hla'alua, Kanakanavu, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Tao (Yami), Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Seediq, and Sakizaya. Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan classified and recognized nine tribes based on linguistic and cultural data; these criteria were modified and included in the official ROC ethnographies of Taiwanese people. The Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Sakizaya, and Seediq tribes were recognized much later in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2008 respectively by the ROC government. There are at least another dozen tribes that are not recognized by the government.

Unrecognized Taiwanese aboriginal tribes may include extinct tribes (mostly Plains aboriginal groups) or tribes currently classified with other groups. There are also 25,943 Aborigines who are currently not classified in any group.

Foreign residents (excluding those from mainland Mainland China, and those without household registration)

There are also people from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, and nationals without household registration in Taiwan.

Languages

Overview: Mandarin (official), Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka dialects, Taiwanese aboriginal languages

Almost everyone in Taiwan born after the early 1950s can speak Mandarin, which has been the official language and the medium of instruction in the schools for more than four decades. The Mandarin spoken in Taiwan has minor differences from that spoken in mainland China, South-east Asia and other regions of the world.

The majority speak a dialect Taiwanese which had formerly been the most commonly spoken language. The ethnic Hakka have a distinct Hakka dialect. Between 1900 and 1945 Japanese was the medium of instruction and could be fluently spoken by many of those educated during that period. Chinese romanisation in Taiwan uses both Hanyu pinyin which has been officially adopted by the central government, and Tongyong pinyin which some localities use. Wade-Giles, used traditionally, is also found.

On Kinmen (Quemoy), the language spoken is also Southern Min, although on Wuqiu island, a form of Puxian Min is spoken. On the Matsu Islands, the Fuzhou dialect, an Eastern Min dialect, is spoken.

The most widely spoken Taiwanese aboriginal languages today are Amis, Atayal, Bunun, and Paiwan.

Religion

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 themselves as Buddhists or Taoists. At the same time there is a strong belief in folk religion. These are not considered mutually exclusive, and many people practice a combination of the three. Confucianism also is an honored school of thought and ethical codes. Christian churches have been active in Taiwan for many centuries, a majority of which are Protestant, with Presbyterians playing a particularly significant role. The ROC government has diplomatic relations with the Holy See, which is the only European nation to formally recognize the ROC and is the ROC's longest lasting diplomatic ally, having established relations in 1942. Islam is a static religion but 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 Tenrikyo sect which began in the 1970s.

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

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 rather they are based on the Witnesses own 2007 Service Year Report.

Fertility rate

The fertility rate of Taiwan is one of the lowest fertility rates 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 birthsmale: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

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

HIV/AIDS

The first reported case of HIV/AIDS was recorded in December 1984 and the first local infection 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 person was 90% male and 10% female.

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

Military manpower

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

Available manpower

Defined as 19–49 years of age.

Fit for military service

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

Education

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 school year 2004-2005. For the school year 2005-2006, 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%.

Taiwan has an extensive higher education system with more than 100 institutions of higher learning. Each year over 100,000 students take the joint college entrance exam; about 66.6% of the candidates are admitted to a college or university. Opportunities for graduate education are expanding in Taiwan, but many students travel abroad for advanced education, including 13,000 who study in the United States annually.

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.

Distribution of students

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

Literacy

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

"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, Statistical Yearbook of Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of China (Taiwan). 2012. Retrieved on 10-05-2012.

References

Demographics of Taiwan Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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