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Demographics of Taiwan

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The Republic of China's population (Taiwan, Matsu, Kinmen, and South China Sea Islands]) was estimated in July 2006 at 23,036,087 [1] spread across a total land area of 35,980 km², making it the twelfth most densely populated country in the world with a population density of 886 people per km². According to official governmental statistics, 98% of Taiwan's population is made up of Han Chinese, while 2% 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. Taiwan is suffering from a decline in birth rates with a population growth of just 0.61% and a fertility rate of 1.57 children (below the 2.1 births average needed to replace the existing population) for the year 2006. The official national language is Mandarin, although a majority also speak Taiwanese (variant of Min Nan; a Fujian dialect) and 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 sinicized despite a program by the ROC government to preserve the languages.

Nationality

The people of Taiwan are officially Chinese citizens under the ROC government and the majority of the population are of at least partial ethnic Chinese descent from the adjacent Fujian province in mainland China. Despite this, there is a tendency for citizens to identify themselves as Taiwanese (臺灣人 Táiwānrén) to clarify that they not a citizen of the People's Republic of China (PRC) (大陸人 Dālùrén; "mainlander/people from the continent").

Ethnic groups

Overview: Chinese 98% (Taiwanese 84% including Hoklo 70% and Hakka 14%; remainder 15% mainland Chinese), aborigine 2% (12 recognized tribes)

Officially, the population of Taiwan consist of 98% Han Chinese, of which 84% identify as Taiwanese while 15% are recent immigrants. The remainder 2% are aborigines (less than 500,000). A confounding factor is intermarriage between ethnic group, including aborigine groups.

Aborigine

The total population of aborigines was estimated in May 2006 to be 468,602 which is about 2% of the total population of Taiwan. The aborigines inhabit the eastern half of Taiwan which consists mostly of mountainous terrain. Due to the historical influx of Chinese from across the Taiwan Strait to Taiwan, the aborigines who originally settled the lowland plains of western Taiwan were forced eastwards into the mountains and came to be known as the mountain people (高山族; gāoshānzú). Many of those who did not migrate eastward intermarried with the Han Chinese settlers and adopted Chinese identities.

Living in the Eastern plains Male Female
220,513 (47.1%) 111,372 109,141
Living in the mountains Male Female
248,089 (52.9%) 122,016 126,073
468,602 233,388 235,214
Note: Source data obtained from ROC Ministry of the Interior website (Spreadsheet data: m1-04.xls)

The ROC government officially recognizes twelve aborigine tribes (原住民; yuánzhùmín; literally "original inhabitants"). These are: Ami, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Tao (Yami), Thao, Kavalan and Truku. Originally, only nine tribes were recognized, dating back to the time of the Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan. The Thao, Kavalan and Truku tribes were recognized much later in 2001, 2002 and 2004 respectively by the ROC government. There are at least another dozen tribes that are not recognized by the government.

Tribe Chinese transliteration Meaning of tribal name Population
Ami 阿美族 (Āměi-zú) "North" 148,992
Atayal 泰雅族 {Tàiyǎ-zú) "Brave person" 91,883
Bunun 布農族 (Bùnóng-zú) n/a 41,038
Paiwan 排灣族 (Páiwān-zú) n/a 70,331
Puyuma 卑南族 (Bēinán-zú) n/a 9,606
Rukai 魯凱族 (Lǔkǎi-zú) n/a 12,084
Tsou 鄒族 (Zōu-zú) n/a 6,169
Saisiyat 賽夏族 (Sàixià-zú) n/a 5,311
Tao 達悟族 (Dáwù-zú) "Person" 3,872
Thao 邵族 (Shào-zú) n/a 281
Kavalan 噶瑪蘭族 (Gámǎlán-zú) "People living in the plain" n/a
Truku 太魯閣族 (Tàilùgé-zú) n/a n/a

Taiwanese

Map of Taiwanese ethnicities

The term Taiwanese refers to people born in Taiwan or identify as citizens of the Republic of China. Technically, Taiwanese people are Han Chinese but the usage is used to clarify that they come from Taiwan and not from mainland China, from which "Chinese" is most often attributed to nowadays. Such usage is also common throughout "Greater China" where people from Hong Kong identify themselves as "Hong Konger" (香港人 Heung-gong-yahn), and those from the once Manchurian area, "Northeasterner" (東北人 Dōngběirén).

Of the 98% Han Chinese, approximately two-thirds are descendants of early immigrants (70% of ethnic Hoklo and 15% of ethnic Hakka) from the adjacent Fujian (Hokkien) and Guangdong (Canton) province who crossed the Taiwan Strait to work for the Dutch during the 17th century. These two ethnic groups regard themselves as native Taiwanese (本省人 Běnshěngrén; literally "home-province person") and consider the more recent Chinese immigrants that fled mainland China during the Chinese Civil War as Mainlanders (外省人 Wàishěngrén; literally "external-province person"). There is tension between the "Taiwanese" and "Mainlander" groups in Taiwan, with the former more supportive of independence while the latter more supportive of unification with mainland China.

Languages

Overview: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

Almost everyone in the Republic of China 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 majority speak a variant form of Southern Fujianese (Min Nan dialect) which is commonly referred to as Taiwanese. 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 the educated during that period. Chinese romanisation in Taiwan uses both Tongyong pinyin which has been officially adopted by the national government, and Hanyu pinyin which some localities use. Wade-Giles, used traditionally, is also found.

On Kinmen (Quemoy) the language spoken is also Min Nan. On the Matsu Islands, Foochow dialect, a Min Dong (eastern Fujianese) dialect, is spoken.

Religion

Overview: mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

Article 13 of the Constitution of the Republic of China guarantees freedom of religion as a right of all its citizens. As of 2002, the Republic of China government recognizes 25 religions which are registered with the Civil Affairs Department of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI)[2].

Statistics on registered religions (2002)

About half 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 years, 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.

Religion Chinese Members Temples & Churches
Buddhism (佛教 Fó jiào) 5,486,000 4,038
Taoism (道教 Dào jiào) 4,546,000 8,604
Yi Guan Dao (一貫道 Yī Guàn Dào) 845,000 3,218
Protestantism (基督新教 Jīdū xīn jiào) 605,000 3,609
Catholicism (天主教 Tiānzhǔ jiào) 298,000 1,135
Lord of Universe Church (天帝教 Tiān Dì jiào) 260,000 53
Tian De Jiao (天德教 Tiān Dé jiào) 200,000 5
Syuan Yuan Jiao (軒轅教 Xuānyuán jiào) 150,000 21
Maitreya Great Tao (彌勒大道 Mílè dàjiào) 100,000 2,000
Islam (伊斯蘭教 Yīsīlán jiào) 53,000 6
Tenrikyo (天理教 Tiānlǐ jiào) 30,000 150
Baha'i (巴哈伊教 Bāhāyī jiào) 16,000 13
Confucianism (儒學 Rú xué) 14,000 170
Li-ism (理教 Lǐ jiào) 169,000 131
Hai Zih Dao (亥子道 Hàizi Dào) 2,300 30
Zhonghua Sheng Jiao (中華聖教 Zhōnghuá Shèng jiào) 1,400 5
Mahikarikyo (真光教團 Zhēnguāng jiàotuán) 1,000 9
Huang Zhong (黃中 Huáng Zhōng) 500 1
Universe Maitreya Emperor Jiao (宇宙彌勒皇教 Yǔzhòu Mílè Huáng jiào) 300 2
Da Yi Jiao (大易教 Dà yì jiào) 300 1
Total 12,777,800 23,201

Note: Statistics for the following religions are missing from the table above:

Source: Taipei Times[2].

Population

According to May 2006 statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the population of the Republic of China was 22,805,547, 99.6% of which live in Taiwan Province (Note: Taipei City and Kaohsiung City are municipalities and thus officially not part of Taiwan Province). The remaining 0.4% (82,618) live across the Taiwan Strait just off the coast of Fujian in mainland China. The ROC has jurisdiction over Taiwan Province and Fukien Province, the latter consists of a few islands administered as two counties, Kinmen and Matsu (Lienchiang). Not many people know that Fujian province is divided between the PRC and ROC, though the ROC only has jurisdiction over a few small islands off the coast of mainland Fujian province.

The Republic of China (Taiwan) is ranked 48th most populous nation in the world.

Rank Name Chinese name Population
1 Taiwan Province 臺灣省 or 台灣省 18,590,635 ¹
2 Taipei City 臺北市 or 台北市 2,620,693
3 Kaohsiung City 高雄市 1,511,601
4 Fukien Province 福建省 82,618 ²
Total     22,805,547

Notes:

1. Excludes the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung, which were split off from the Taiwan Province in 1967 and 1979 respectively.
2. Covers only the modern counties of Kinmen and Lienchiang, which are under the effective jurisdiction of the Fukien Province.

Age structure

Age range Male Female Total
0-14 years 2,330,951 2,140,965 4,471,961 (19.4%)
15-64 years 8,269,421 8,040,169 16,309,590 (70.8%)
65 years and over 1,123,429 1,131,152 2,254,581 (9.8%)
Total 11,723,801 11,312,286 23,036,132
Source: CIA World Factbook (2006 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Foreign residents

Total: 422,738 (May 2006 est.)

Source: Ministry of the Interior (MOI) (Spreadsheet data: m5-08.xls)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
-0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

The Republic of China (Taiwan) is ranked 34th in the world for highest life expectancy at birth.

Gender Life expectancy
Male 74.67 years
Female 80.47 years
Average 77.43 years
Source: CIA World Factbook (2006 est.)

Births & Deaths

Population growth rate

Year Population growth rate
2006 0.61%
2005 0.63%
2004 0.64%
2003 0.65%
2002 0.78%
2001 0.8%
2000 0.81%
Source: CIA World Factbook

Fertility rate

1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Birth rate

12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
14.42 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Death rate

6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
5.91 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

HIV/AIDS

The first reported case of HIV/AIDS was recorded in December 1984 and the first local infection recorded in Februrary 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 0.5% 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.

Data Population
Adult prevalence 11,486
People living with HIV/AIDS 10,029
Deaths 1,425
Source: Center for Disease Control (CDC), Republic of China (Taiwan) - May 2006 est.(PDF file) Template:Zh icon

Military manpower

The Republic of China (Taiwan) has a compulsory military draft for males aged 19-35 years of age with a service obligation of 16 months (to be reduced to 12 months in 2008).

Available manpower

Defined as 19-49 years of age.

Gender Population
Male 5,883,828
Female 5,680,773
Total 11,564,601

Fit for military service

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

Gender Population
Male 4,749,537
Female 4,644,607
Total 9,394,144

Education

The Republic of China has a nine-year compulsory education program in Taiwan, Kinmen, and Matsu 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 [citation needed]. Reflecting a strong commitment to education, in FY 2001 16% of the ROC budget was allocated for education [citation needed]. The enrollment rate was 96.77% for the school year 2004-2005 [3]. 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[citation needed]. 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 [citation needed].

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.

See also: List of universities in Taiwan

Distribution of students

Sector Education Years of study Typical Age range Students Distribution
Pre-school Kindergarten (2 years) 4-6 years old 224,220 4.2%
Compulsory Elementary 6 years 6-12 years old 1,831,913 34.7%
Junior High 3 years 12-15 years old 951,236 18%
Senior Secondary Senior High 3 years 15-18 years old 420,608 8%
Senior Vocation 3 years 15-18 years old 331,604 6.3%
Higher Education Junior College 2-5 years 15-20 years old 37,068 0.7%
University & College 4-7 years
(up to 13 years)
18-25 years old
(up to 31 years old)
1,259,490 23.8%
Other Special School up to 14 years 4-18 years old 6,361 0.1%
Supplementary School n/a n/a 200,573 3.8%
Open University n/a n/a 20,782 0.4%
Total 5,283,855 100%
Source: Number of students at each level (SY 2005-2006), Ministry of Education, Republic of China (Taiwan).

Literacy

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

Gender Population
Male n/a
Female n/a
Total n/a
Literacy rate 96.1%
Source: CIA World Factbook (2003 est.)

See also

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References

  1. ^ "Taiwan". CIA - The World Factbook. November 14, 2006.
  2. ^ a b "Taiwan Yearbook 2004 - Religion". Taipei Times. 2004.
  3. ^ "Taiwan Yearbook 2005 - Education". Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan).