The population of Taiwan is approximately 23.36 million as of April 2025. According to governmental statistics, in the early 21st century, 95% to 97% of Taiwan's population are Han Taiwanese, while about 2.3% are Taiwanese of Austronesian ethnicity.Taiwan. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency., United States Central Intelligence Agency Half the population are followers of one or a mixture of 25 recognized religions.
Immigration of Han Chinese to the Penghu Islands started as early as the 12th century. The main island was inhabited by a diversity of Taiwanese indigenous peoples speaking Austronesian languages until Han settlement began in the early 17th century. Soon after, more Han workers mainly from the Minnan region arrived to work in the colony of Dutch Formosa in the southwest of Taiwan. After the Dutch were defeated, the Kingdom of Tungning maintained a significant population of Han settlers in the tens of thousands until the Qing dynasty took over. Under Qing rule, the Han population in Taiwan increased from about 50,000 in the mid-17th century to 2.5 million by 1893. The total population of Taiwan increased to 6.5 million under Japanese rule by 1945.
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, such as very high fertility rates up to the 1960s, and low mortality rates. In addition, there was a surge in population as the Chinese Civil War ended and the Kuomintang (KMT) forces retreated, bringing an influx of 1.2 million soldiers and civilians to Taiwan in 19481949, representing less than 15% of the population at the time (who constitute approximately 10% of the population in 2004).: "1.2 million" Consequently, the population growth rate after that was very rapid, especially in the late 1940s and 1950s, with an effective annual growth rate as high as 3.68% during 19511956.
Fertility rates decreased gradually thereafter; 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. In 2010, Taiwan had a population growth of less than 0.2% and a fertility rate of only 0.9, the lowest rate ever recorded in that country. The population of Taiwan peaked at 23.6 million in 2019 and has been continuously decreasing ever since, raising fears of an aging population. Notably in 2025, the fertility rate hit 0.695, the lowest country-level rate globally.
Most Taiwanese speak Mandarin. Around 70% of the people also speak Taiwanese Hokkien and 10% speak Hakka. Japanese speakers are becoming rare as the elderly generation who lived under Japanese colonization are dying out. The Formosan languages are endangered as the indigenous peoples have become acculturated under Chinese culture.
Population
According to February 2022 statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the population of Taiwan was 23,319,776, 99.6% of whom live on the island of Taiwan. The remaining 0.4% live on offshore islands (Penghu, Lanyu, Green, Kinmen, and Matsu).
Taiwan is ranked the 58th most populous country in the world.
Historical
Estimates of the Chinese population on the island of Taiwan in 1624, prior to Dutch colonial rule, range from 1,500 to 2,000, or as high as 25,000 according to James W. Davidson. During Dutch Formosa rule, between 1624 and 1662, the Dutch began to encourage large-scale Han immigration to the island for labour, mainly from the south of Fujian.
It is estimated that prior to the Kingdom of Tungning (1661), the population of Taiwan was no greater than 100,000 people, and the initial Zheng army with families and retainers that settled in Taiwan is estimated to be 30,000 at minimum. During Qing rule (1683–1895), the population of Han Taiwanese in Taiwan grew rapidly from 100,000 to ≈2.5 million, while the indigenous population was estimated to be at least 200,000 by 1895. (The plains indigenous 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 after the Second World War in 1946 it numbered 6.09 million. The Japanese colonial authorities discriminated against mixed Japanese-Taiwanese couples with marriages only being recognized if the Taiwanese party officially joined a Japanese household. This also meant that the children of these couples, including married ones, were considered legally illegitimate.
Population census
Year Males (thousands) Females (thousands) Total population (thousands) Average annual growth rate (%)19051,6111,4293,04019151,8131,6693,4801.419201,8941,7623,6551.019252,0531,941 3,9931.819302,4592,239 4,5932.819352,6602,553 5,2122.619402,9712,901 5,8722.419564,7724,596 9,3683.019667,1536,352 13,505 3.71970 (sampling)7,7237,04714,770 2.31975 (sampling)8,4397,84016,279 2.019809,4058,62418,030 2.1199010,6189,77520,394 1.2200011,38610,91522,301 0.9201023,0520.4
Regional population
Date:2019/07-08 CountyCity Area(km2) Population Margin Density(people/km2) SortNew Taipei2052.56674,010,657+28431,9541(8)Taichung2214.89682,811,729+5811,2702(8) Kaohsiung2951.85242,773,786+1959393(8)Taipei271.79972,650,154−38549,7654(8)Taoyuan1220.95402,240,328+23851,8335(8)Tainan2191.65311,881,730−668596(8) Changhua County1074.39601,273,613−6611,1867(8)Pingtung2775.6003820,798−3982968(8)Yunlin1290.8326682,577−3355299(8)Hsinchu County1427.5369561,766+104739310(8)Miaoli1820.3149546,461−3730011Chiayi1903.6367504,750−34726512(8)Nantou4106.4360495,084−2212113Yilan2143.6251454,636−5721214Hsinchu City104.1526447,781+297429615(8)Keelung132.7589369,305−55278216Hualien4628.5714326,780−336917(8)Chiayi City60.0256268,068−163446918Taitung County3515.2526217,540−2966219Kinmen County151.6560139,319−4691820Penghu County126.8641104,711+382521Lienchiang County28.800013,073+1145522(8)Free area of the Republic of China36,197.066923,593,794+1196651−(8) Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs, Taiwan
Age structure Year 0–14 years 15–64 years 65 years and over 1980 1990 2000 2010 2015 2020 Population growth and age structure
Demographic transition models (DTM) show how population pyramids change and go through specific stages. By looking at Taiwan's population pyramid, the country is in stage 4 of the DTM and its shape contracts but it will soon enter stage 5. In stage 5 of the DTM, death rate gradually exceeds fertility rate and a country starts to experience overall population loss. Access to good medical care increases the lifespan of a population. Knowledge of and access to contraception, along with an increase in women's participation in the workforce, cause a sharp decline in the fertility rate.
National statistics of Taiwan in 2018 indicate that there are approximately 140,000 more females than males. The birth rate (8.3 births/1,000 population) is slightly higher than the death rate (7.4 deaths/1,000 population). The total dependency ratio in Taiwan is 35.2%, which is relatively low. The low dependency ratio indicates that the dependent part of the population is less than half of the working part. Experts estimate the dependency ratio will rise to 92.9% by 2060. A rising dependency ratio and longer life expectancy will most likely require the government to support part of the elderly population as the working-age population is shrinking and thus less able to support the elderly directly.
Demographic transition and population aging
The process of population aging is primarily determined by fertility and mortality rate. The proportions of elderly people are different across countries. For example, developing countries with limited access to healthcare and contraceptives, where populations have a high fertility rate, tend to have a lower proportion of older people. Medical advancements, industrial developments, and better knowledge of sanitation, which started in the 18th century in many developed countries, have caused a decline in mortality rates and an increase in fertility rates, factors which raise the number of older people worldwide. According to the United Nations, many developed countries are in more advanced stages (4 or 5) of the demographic transition model and their number of elderly will remain high compared to less developed countries.United Nations. 2001a. World populationprospect: The 2000 revision, Volume 1: Comprehensive Tables. New York: United Nations Publications, Sales No. E. 01. XIII.8. This phenomenon is known as population aging.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since 1993, Taiwan has reached the threshold of an aging society. It was estimated the percentage of people over 65 was 8%. The CEPD estimated that the percentage of people 65 years or older will be over 20% in 2025, which means Taiwan will soon become a "super aged society". The critical factors that accelerate the speed of aging in Taiwan are high life expectancy and low fertility rate. The average life expectancy in 2014 was 80 years. The total fertility rate in 2014 was 1.1 (per 1,000 women) and dropped to 0.87 in 2022. In 2025, the fertility rate fell to 0.72, becoming the lowest of any country in the world.
According to a 2015 study by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, approximately 40% of Taiwan elders see themselves as a burden on family or society.
Vital statistics Births and deaths Source:B.R. Mitchell. International historical statistics: Africa, Asia & Oceania 1750–2000.
Notable events in Taiwanese demography:
1942-1945 – Second World War 1949 – Republic of China retreat to Taiwan