General
The population of Taiwan in 2005 was estimated by the United Nations at 22,731,000, which placed it at number 48 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In 2005, approximately 9% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 19% of the population under 15 years of age. According to the UN, the annual population rate of change for 2005-10 was expected to be 0.4%, a rate the government viewed as too low. The projected population for the year 2025 was 23,625,000. The population density was 628 per km² (1,627 sq mi²), one of the highest in the world. Approximately 90% of the inhabitants live west of the Central Range.
The UN estimated that 78% of the population lived in urban areas in 2005, and that urban areas were growing at an annual rate of %. The capital city, Taipei, had a population of approximately 2,700,000 in that year. Other large cities (with their estimated populations) include Kaohsiung (1,600,000), Taichung (1,114,080), Tainan (755,800), and Panchiao (589,700).
Overview
| Population | : | 23,113,901 (July 2012 est.) |
| Age structure | : | 0-14 years: 15.6% (male 1,875,359/female 1,732,007) 15-64 years: 73.4% (male 8,538,881/female 8,406,716) 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 1,198,591/female 1,320,225) (2011 est.) |
| Median age | : | total: 37.6 years male: 36.9 years female: 38.3 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate | : | 0.171% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate | : | 8.81 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate | : | 7.12 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate | : | 0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio | : | at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2012 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | : | total: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | : | total population: 78.48 years male: 75.66 years female: 81.53 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | : | 1.16 children born/woman (2012 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | : | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | : | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | : | NA |
| Nationality | : | noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan adjective: Taiwan (or Taiwanese) |
| Ethnic groups | : | Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2% |
| Religions | : | mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% |
| Languages | : | Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects |
| Literacy | : | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: NA female: NA (2003) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | : | NA |
| Education expenditures | : | NA |