Taiwan has one of the highest population density in the world.
Population of Taiwan – Population Density
The population of Taiwan is estimated at around 23 million people. It is the fifteenth most densely populated country in the world. Taiwan has a population density of 635 people / square km. It is ranked the 50th most populous country in the world.
Don’t be fooled by the numbers! It gets even worse…
Understand this: The rugged Central Mountain Range occupies two-third of the island and is mostly unpopulated. That leaves the vast majority of Taiwan’s population living in crowded cities on only one-third (yes, 1/3!) of the island. Taiwan is about the size of Holland. Viewed within this context, one can consider that Taiwan really is the most densely populated country on earth!
Population Around Taiwan’s Capital
Taipei – the country’s capital – and the surrounding areas in the northern part of Taiwan harbor 40% of Taiwan’s entire population! I’m not the kind of person who usually minds big crowds of people, but sometimes, after spending a day or two in Taipei, I really start to feel claustrophobic. It is crammed!
Taiwan Population – The Cities
As of January 2020, the populations of the 5 most populous Taiwanese cities were as follow:
Population of Taipei City: 7.4 million
Population of Kaohsiung City:2.7 million
Population of Taichung City: 2.8 million
Population of Tainan City: 1.8 million
Population of Hsinchu City: 448,000
Ethnic Groups in Taiwan
The population of Taiwan is predominantly Han Chinese, an ethnic group native to China. Han Chinese constitute 98% of Taiwan’s population. That’s around 22 million people.
Two-thirds of those 22 million Han Chinese are descendants of early immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong province in China. 70% of those settlers were ethnic Hoklo and 15% were Hakka.
Taiwanese Aborigines
Taiwan’s aborigines represent only 2% of Taiwan’s entire population. It is estimated at around 470,000 people.
Just like the native Americans and the aborigines of Australia, most of Taiwan’s indigenous people are being isolated and live in some of the most remote parts of the island, usually in the mountains, along the east coast, or on the outlying island of Lanyu. Taiwan’s aborigines are called Yuan Zu Min in Mandarin Chinese. Most aboriginal people in Taiwan speak Mandarin as well as their tribal languages. Traditional tribal life is mostly a thing of the pastnowadays and aboriginal culture has been replaced by cell phones, Facebook, 7-11s and Hello Kitty.
Learn About Chinese Etiquette!
How do you greet Chinese people in Taiwan? What are red envelopes? Don’t lose face!