Taiwan

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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.)

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

$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

$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

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

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

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

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

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

0.02% (2025 est.)

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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.)

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

USG identification: major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

IDPs: 380 (2024 est.)

57 (2025)

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

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

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

percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)