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Taiwan Population and religion percentage
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. It is located at the meeting point of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south.
The territories controlled by the ROC consist of 168 islands, with a combined area of 36,193 square kilometers (13,974 sq mi). The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, has an area of 35,808 square kilometers (13,826 sq mi), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated.
The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1911, took control of Taiwan on behalf of the Allies of World War II following the surrender of Japan in 1945. The resumption of the Chinese Civil War resulted in the loss of the Chinese mainland to Communist forces who established the People’s Republic of China and the flight of the ROC central government to Taiwan in 1949. The effective jurisdiction of the ROC has since been limited to Formosa, Penghu, and smaller islands.
According to National Statistics, the population of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as of the 2020 Census is 23,829,897, or approximately 24 million. As per the UN World Population Prospects report, the estimated population of Taiwan in 2026 is 23,994,080 (24 million or 2.4 Crore)
Read about Top Countries by Population
| Taiwan | 2026 Estimates |
| Total Population | 23,994,080 |
| Global Rank | 57 |
| Share of World Pop. | 0.31% |
| Land Area | 35,410 sq.km (13,672 sq. mi) |
| Area Rank | 133 |
| Pop. Density | 677 people/sq. km |
| Capital City | Taipei |
Taiwan location on Map.
Taiwan Constitution gives people freedom of religion and the practices of belief. The five largest religions in Taiwan are Buddhism, Taoism, Yiguandao, Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism. The majority of Taiwanese people practice a combination of Buddhism and Taoism often with a Confucian worldview, which is collectively termed as Chinese folk religion.
According to Census and other estimates, Buddhism is the largest religion in Taiwan and is followed by 35.10% of the population. Chinese Folk religions are followed by 41.3% which include Taoists, Confucianism, Yiguandao, Tiandiism, Miledadao, and Zailiism.
Among Other Religions 3.9% are Christian and 1% are Muslim. The remaining 13.7% are classified as unaffiliated, which can mean agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular”.
Religion percentage in Taiwan
| Religion / Affiliations | Percentage |
| Buddhism | 35.10% |
| Chinese folk religion/ Traditional Religion | 41.30% |
| – Taoism | – 33.00% |
| – Yiguandao | – 3.50% |
| – Tiandiism | – 2.20% |
| – Miledadao | – 1.10% |
| – Zailiism | – 0.80% |
| – Xuanyuanism | – 0.70% |
| Other Religions | |
| Christianity | 3.90% |
| Islam | 1.00% |
| Unaffiliated/ No religion | 18.70% |
Taiwan Demographics
| Fertility Rate* of Taiwan | 1.15 |
| Infant mortality rate ** in Taiwan | 3.2 |
| Median Age in Taiwan | 42.5 Years |
| Life Expectancy in Taiwan | 81.04 years |
| Urban Population of Taiwan | 78.9 % |
*Fertility rate, average number of children born to women during their reproductive years.
**Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age.
Top Cities in Taiwan by Population
Top 10 Cities in Taiwan by Population:
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Taipei | 4,365,947 |
| 2 | Taipei | 2,594,581 |
| 3 | Taichung | 3,033,840 |
| 4 | Kaohsiung | 2,734,275 |
| 5 | Taoyuan | 2,441,064 |
| 6 | Tainan | 1,875,076 |
| 7 | Changhua | 1,186,795 |
| 8 | Pingtung | 755,047 |
| 9 | Yunlin | 591,111 |
| 10 | Hsinchu | 499,468 |
Source: Census 2020