Taiwan, Province of China

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 forty 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, became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers," and after 2000 became a major investor in mainland China 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.

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

23 30 N, 121 00 E

Southeast Asia

total: 35,980 sq km

land: 32,260 sq km

water: 3,720 sq km

note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Kinmen islands

country comparison to the world: 138

slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

total: 0 km

1,566.3 km

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

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

highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

mean elevation: 1,150 m

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

agricultural land: 22.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 16.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 5.8% (2018 est.)

other: 77.3% (2018 est.)

3,820 sq km (2012)

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

earthquakes; typhoons

volcanism: Kueishantao Island (401 m), east of Taiwan, is its only historically active volcano, although it has not erupted in centuries

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

23,588,613 (2023 est.)

country comparison to the world: 57

noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)

adjective: Taiwan (or Taiwanese)

note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan

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

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.

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

0-14 years: 12.22% (male 1,482,120/female 1,399,336)

15-64 years: 69.72% (male 8,211,973/female 8,233,667)

65 years and over: 18.07% (2023 est.) (male 1,922,365/female 2,339,152)

total dependency ratio: 40.2

youth dependency ratio: 17.8

elderly dependency ratio: 22.4

potential support ratio: 4.5 (2021 est.)

total: 42.3 years

male: 41.5 years

female: 43.1 years (2020 est.)

country comparison to the world: 36

0.03% (2023 est.)

country comparison to the world: 190

7.33 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

country comparison to the world: 221

7.98 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

country comparison to the world: 90

0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

country comparison to the world: 66

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

urban population: 80.1% of total population (2023)

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

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)

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 (2023 est.)

total: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.23 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

country comparison to the world: 190

total population: 81.38 years

male: 78.4 years

female: 84.54 years (2023 est.)

country comparison to the world: 43

1.09 children born/woman (2023 est.)

country comparison to the world: 227

0.53 (2023 est.)

75.2% (2016)

note: percent of women aged 20-52

improved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: NA

unimproved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: NA

NA

NA

improved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: NA

unimproved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: NA

NA

51% (2023 est.)

NA

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.5%

male: 99.7%

female: 97.3% (2014)

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

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

agricultural land: 22.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 16.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 5.8% (2018 est.)

other: 77.3% (2018 est.)

urban population: 80.1% of total population (2023)

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

municipal solid waste generated annually: 7.336 million tons (2015 est.)

67 cubic meters (2011)

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Taiwan

local long form: none

local short form: Taiwan

former: Formosa

etymology: "Tayowan" was the name of the coastal sandbank where the Dutch erected their colonial headquarters on the island in the 17th century; the former name "Formosa" means "beautiful" in Portuguese

semi-presidential republic

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 Chinese meaning is "Northern Taiwan," reflecting the city's position in the far north of the island

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)

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

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

amendments: 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; revised several times, last in 2005

civil law system

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

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

20 years of age; universal; note - in March 2022, the Legislative Yuan approved lowering the voting age to 18, but the change will require a constitutional amendment that must be submitted to a referendum

chief of state: President TSAI Ing-wen (since 20 May 2016); Vice President LAI Ching-te (since 20 May 2020)

head of government: Premier CHEN Chien-jen (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 25 January 2023); Vice Premier CHENG Wen-tsan (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) (since 25 January 2023)

cabinet: Executive Yuan - ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier

elections/appointments: 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); election last held on 11 January 2020 (next to be held on 13 January 2024); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier

election results: 2020: TSAI Ing-wen elected president; percent of vote - TSAI Ing-wen (DPP) 57.1%, HAN Kuo-yu (KMT) 38.6%, James SOONG (PFP) 4.2%; note - TSAI is the first woman elected president of Taiwan

2016: TSAI Ing-wen elected president; percent of vote - TSAI Ing-wen (DPP) 56.1%, Eric CHU (KMT) 31%, James SOONG (PFP) 12.8%

description: unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats; 73 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 34 directly elected in a single island-wide constituency by proportional representation vote, and 6 directly elected in multi-seat aboriginal constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 11 January 2020 (next to be held on 13 January 2024)

election results: percent of vote by party - Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) 34.0%, Kuomintang (KMT) 33.4%, Taiwan People's Party (TPP) 11.2%, New Power Party (NPP) 7.5%; seats by party - DPP 61, KMT 38, TPP 5, NPP 3; composition as of early 2020 - men 64, women 48, percent of women 42.5%

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and approximately 100 judges organized into 8 civil and 12 criminal divisions, each with a division 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 by the president; Constitutional Court justices appointed by the president, with approval of the Legislative Yuan; Supreme Court justices serve for life; Constitutional Court justices appointed for 8-year terms, with half the membership renewed every 4 years

subordinate courts: high courts; district courts; hierarchy of administrative courts

Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [LAI Ching-te]
Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [Eric CHU Chi-luan]
New Power Party or NPP [CHEN Jiau-hua]
People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]
Taiwan People's Party or TPP [KO Wen-je]
Taiwan Statebuilding Party or TSP [CHEN Yi-chi]

note: the DPP and the KMT are the two major political parties; there are hundreds of registered minor parties

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

note - separate customs territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu

chief of mission: none; 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 HSIAO Bi-khim (since 20 July 2020); office: 4201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016; telephone: [1] (202) 895-1800; fax: [1] (202) 363-0999

Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (branch offices): Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver (CO), Houston, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

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 Sandra OUDKIRK (since July 2021)

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)

red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays; the blue and white design of the canton (symbolizing the sun of progress) dates to 1895; it was later adopted as the flag of the Kuomintang Party; blue signifies liberty, justice, and democracy, red stands for fraternity, sacrifice, and nationalism, and white represents equality, frankness, and the people's livelihood; the 12 rays of the sun are those of the months and the twelve traditional Chinese hours (each ray equals two hours)

note: similar to the flag of Samoa

white, 12-rayed sun on blue field; national colors: blue, white, red

name: "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

note: adopted 1930; also the song of the Kuomintang Party; it is informally known as "San Min Chu I" or "San Min Zhu Yi" (Three Principles of the People); because of political pressure from China, "Guo Qi Ge" (National Banner Song) is used at international events rather than the official anthem of Taiwan; the "National Banner Song" has gained popularity in Taiwan and is commonly used during flag raisings

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

$1.143 trillion (2019 est.)

$1.113 trillion (2018 est.)

$1.083 trillion (2017 est.)

note: data are in 2010 dollars

country comparison to the world: 24

2.71% (2019 est.)

2.75% (2018 est.)

3.31% (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 150

$47,800 (2019 est.)

$46,600 (2018 est.)

$45,400 (2017 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

country comparison to the world: 34

$611.391 billion (2019 est.)

0.5% (2019 est.)

1.3% (2018 est.)

0.6% (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 19

Fitch rating: AA- (2016)

Moody's rating: Aa3 (1994)

Standard & Poors rating: AA- (2002)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture: 1.8% (2017 est.)

industry: 36% (2017 est.)

services: 62.1% (2017 est.)

household consumption: 53% (2017 est.)

government consumption: 14.1% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 20.5% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories: -0.2% (2017 est.)

exports of goods and services: 65.2% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services: -52.6% (2017 est.)

rice, vegetables, pork, cabbages, poultry, sugar cane, milk, eggs, pineapples, tropical fruit

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

3.9% (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 106

11.498 million (2020 est.)

country comparison to the world: 51

agriculture: 4.9%

industry: 35.9%

services: 59.2% (2016 est.)

3.73% (2019 est.)

3.69% (2018 est.)

country comparison to the world: 49

1.5% (2012 est.)

33.6 (2014)

country comparison to the world: 120

on food: 14.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco: 2.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

lowest 10%: 6.4% (2010)

highest 10%: 40.3% (2010)

revenues: $94.943 billion (2019 est.)

expenditures: $105.833 billion (2019 est.)

-0.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 50

35.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

36.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data for central government

country comparison to the world: 151

16% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 136

calendar year

$65.173 billion (2019 est.)

$70.843 billion (2018 est.)

country comparison to the world: 10

$388.49 billion (2019 est.)

$383.484 billion (2018 est.)

$382.736 billion (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 22

China 26%, United States 14%, Hong Kong 12%, Japan 7%, Singapore 7%, South Korea 5% (2019)

integrated circuits, office machinery/parts, computers, refined petroleum, liquid crystal displays (2019)

$308.744 billion (2019 est.)

$305.428 billion (2018 est.)

$303.067 billion (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 22

China 21%, Japan 16%, United States 11%, South Korea 6% (2019)

integrated circuits, crude petroleum, photography equipment, natural gas, refined petroleum (2019)

$456.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$439 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 10

$189.684 billion (2019 est.)

$196.276 billion (2018 est.)

country comparison to the world: 41

New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar -

28.211 (2020 est.)

30.472 (2019 est.)

30.8395 (2018 est.)

31.911 (2014 est.)

30.363 (2013 est.)

installed generating capacity: 57.738 million kW (2020 est.)

consumption: 269,570,325,000 kWh (2020 est.)

exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)

imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses: 9.484 billion kWh (2020 est.)

fossil fuels: 82.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear: 11.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar: 2.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity: 2.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

biomass and waste: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Number of operational nuclear reactors: 2 (2023)

Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 0

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 1.87GW (2023)

Percent of total electricity production: 11% (2021)

Percent of total energy produced: 63.9% (2021)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 2

production: 5.955 million metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption: 67.985 million metric tons (2020 est.)

exports: 118,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports: 63.523 million metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves: 1 million metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production: 800 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 998,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports: 886,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves: 2.4 million barrels (2021 est.)

924,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 21

349,600 bbl/day (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 26

418,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 20

production: 150.589 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

consumption: 22,002,493,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports: 22,172,507,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

proven reserves: 6.23 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

279.206 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke: 141.445 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids: 92.207 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas: 45.554 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

country comparison to the world: 23

160.669 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

country comparison to the world: 32

total subscriptions: 13 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 53 (2021 est.)

country comparison to the world: 15

total subscriptions: 30 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (2021 est.)

country comparison to the world: 46

general assessment: Taiwan has a highly developed telecoms sector in both the fixed-line and mobile segments; in part this is due to the country’s early moves to liberalize the market, allowing vigorous competition to flourish; the government has also made concerted efforts to take advantage of Taiwan’s strengths in the development of high-tech, export-oriented industries to encourage and enable the rapid adoption of advanced telecom platforms, while simultaneously leveraging the same telecoms infrastructure to push even further ahead with the country's industrial development plans; Taiwan has one of the highest teledensities in the region; while fixed-line subscriber numbers are trending downwards, the rate of decline has been slowed by the major fixed-line provider investing strongly in building out a widespread fiber network to allow customers to maintain a terrestrial voice connection as part of a fixed broadband package; fiber is the dominant platform in Taiwan’s fixed broadband market; cable services have retained an unusually strong following thanks to the success of cable providers in delivering competitive cable TV and telephony services as a way to get around Chunghwa Telecom’s control of the last mile for its copper and fiber networks; Taiwan also has high penetration rates in its mobile and mobile broadband segments, growth in both markets is almost at a standstill because the country reached 100% penetration very early on – way back when GSM was first introduced, in mobile’s case; the MNOs moved quickly to roll out 4G and 5G networks and services in rapid succession, but subscriber numbers (and market share) has barely changed; the improved quality and performance available with the new platforms will drive increased usage and ARPU; fierce competition following the launch of 4G saw the opposite happen, with price wars causing telco revenues to fall instead; it is possible that the same problem can be avoided with 5G allowing Taiwan to reach the target of 50% of subscribers on 5G by mid-2023 (2022)

domestic: fixed-line over 53 per 100 and mobile-cellular roughly 120 per 100 (2021)

international: country code - 886; landing points for the EAC-C2C, APCN-2, FASTER, SJC2, TSE-1, TPE, APG, SeaMeWe-3, FLAG North Asia Loop/REACH North Asia Loop, HKA, NCP, and PLCN submarine fiber cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2019)

5 nationwide television networks operating roughly 22 TV stations; more than 300 satellite TV channels are available; about 60% of households utilize multi-channel cable TV; 99.9% of households subscribe to digital cable TV; national and regional radio networks with about 171 radio stations (2019)

.tw

total: 21.6 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)

country comparison to the world: 39

total: 5,831,470 (2019 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 25 (2019 est.)

country comparison to the world: 31

number of registered air carriers: 7 (2020)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 216

B

37 (2021)

country comparison to the world: 107

35

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

2

note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

31 (2021)

25 km condensate, 2,200 km gas, 13,500 km oil (2018)

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

country comparison to the world: 80

total: 43,206 km (2017)

paved: 42,793 km (2017) (includes 1,348 km of highways and 737 km of expressways)

unpaved: 413 km (2017)

country comparison to the world: 87

total: 450

by type: bulk carrier 34, container ship 53, general cargo 58, oil tanker 34, other 271 (2022)

country comparison to the world: 44

major seaport(s): Keelung (Chi-lung), Kaohsiung, Hualian, Taichung

container port(s) (TEUs): Kaohsiung (9,864,448), Taichung (1,979,222), Taipei (2,091,132) (2021)

LNG terminal(s) (import): Yung An (Kaohsiung), Taichung

Taiwan Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force; Taiwan Coast Guard Administration; Ministry of Interior: National Police (2023)

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

2% of GDP (2022 est.)

2.1% of GDP (2021)

2.1% of GDP (2020)

1.8% of GDP (2019)

1.7% of GDP (2018)

country comparison to the world: 61

approximately 170,000 active duty troops (90,000 Army; 40,000 Navy, including approximately 10,000 marines; 40,000 Air Force) (2022)

note: Taiwan trains about 120,000 reservists annually, but in 2022 announced intentions to increase that figure to 260,000

the Taiwan military is armed mostly with secondhand weapons and equipment provided by the US, and the US has continued to be the largest provider of arms in recent years; Taiwan also has a domestic defense industry capable of building and upgrading a range of weapons systems, including surface ships and submarines (2023)

starting with those born in 1994, men 18-36 years of age may volunteer or must complete 4 months of compulsory military service; civil service can be substituted for military service in some cases; men born before December 1993 are required to complete compulsory service for 12 months (military or civil); men are subject to training recalls up to four times for periods not to exceed 20 days for 8 years after discharge; women may enlist but are restricted to noncombat roles in most cases; as part of its transition to an all-volunteer military, the last cohort of 12-month military conscripts completed their service obligations in December 2018 (2023)

note 1: compulsory service is 5 weeks of basic training followed by 11 weeks of specialized training with field units; in 2022, the Taiwan announced that compulsory service would be extended from 4 to 12 months beginning in January 2024

note 2: as of 2023, women made up about 15% of the active-duty military

the military’s primary responsibility is external security, including the defense of the country’s sovereignty and territory, and the protection of Taiwan’s air space, maritime claims, and sea lanes of communication; its main focus is the challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China; the military trains regularly and conducts multiservice exercises; the Army’s primary combat forces include 9 mechanized or motorized infantry brigades, 4 armored brigades, and 3 artillery brigades; it also has an aviation and special forces command that includes several squadrons of attack helicopters; the Air Force has nearly 300 fighter and multipurpose fighter aircraft organized, plus squadrons for anti-submarine and electronic warfare, early warning, and surveillance; the Navy’s warship inventory includes 4 destroyers, 22 frigates, more than 40 corvettes, patrol vessels, and missile-armed attack craft, and 2 combat-capable attack submarines; it also has 3 marine infantry brigades 

the US Taiwan Relations Act of April 1979 states that the US shall provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character and shall maintain the capacity of the US to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan (2023)

Taiwan-Brunei-China-Malaysia-Philippines-Vietnam: involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea that are thought to have large oil and natural gas reserves, as well as being located amidst prime fishing grounds and busy commercial shipping traffic; the Spratly Islands also are in a strategic position for establishing a military presence to monitor activity in the South China Sea; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants

Taiwan-China-Philippines: border dispute over the Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea; Scarborough Reef, like the Spratly Islands, is strategically located and is surrounded by abundant fishing grounds; it may also be ripe for oil and natural gas exploration

Taiwan-China-Vietnam: the Paracel Islands are occupied by China but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam

Taiwan-Japan-China: in 2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting; Senkaku-shoto is situated near key shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds, and possibly significant oil and natural gas reserves

major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics