Editing Taiwan (section)

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Taiwan}}
[[File:Taiwan population density map.svg|thumb|Population density map of Taiwan (residents per square kilometer)]]
Taiwan has a population of about 23.4&nbsp;million,{{sfnp|Exec. Yuan|2014|p=36}} most of whom are on the island of Taiwan. The remainder live on the outlying islands of Penghu (101,758), Kinmen (127,723), and Matsu (12,506).<ref name="taiwan-popstat">{{cite web|url=http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-01.xls |title=Number of Villages, Neighborhoods, Households and Resident Population |publisher=MOI Statistical Information Service |access-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329071215/http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-01.xls |archive-date=29 March 2014 }}</ref>

===Largest cities and counties===
{{Main|List of cities in Taiwan}}

The figures below are the March 2019 estimates for the twenty most populous administrative divisions; a different ranking exists when considering the total [[List of metropolitan areas in Taiwan#Metropolitan areas in Taiwan|metropolitan area populations]] (in such rankings the [[Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area|Taipei-Keelung metro area]] is by far the largest agglomeration). The figures reflect the number of household registrations in each city, which may differ from the number of actual residents.
{| style="max-width:100%; min-width:50em"
|{{Largest cities
| country      = Taiwan
| stat_ref     = [https://www.ris.gov.tw/app/portal/346 source]
| div_name     = Division
| kind         = cities and special municipalities

|city_1 = New Taipei
|div_1 = New Taipei City
|pop_1 = 4,000,164
|img_1 = Fu_Jen_Catholic_University_Hospital_2018_(cropped).jpg

|city_2 = Taichung
|div_2 = Taichung City
|pop_2 = 2,809,004
|img_2 = Taichung skyline.png

|city_3 = Kaohsiung
|div_3 = Kaohsiung City
|pop_3 = 2,773,229
|img_3 = Kaohsiung skyline 2020 May.jpg

|city_4 = Taipei
|div_4 = Taipei City
|pop_4 = 2,661,317
|img_4 = Taipei Skyline 2022.06.29.jpg

|city_5 = Taoyuan, Taiwan{{!}}Taoyuan
|div_5 = Taoyuan City
|pop_5 = 2,230,653

|city_6 = Tainan
|div_6 = Tainan City
|pop_6 = 1,883,078

|city_7 = Hsinchu
|div_7 = Hsinchu City
|pop_7 = 446,701

|city_8 = Keelung
|div_8 = Keelung City
|pop_8 = 369,820

|city_9 = Chiayi
|div_9 = Chiayi City
|pop_9 = 268,474

|city_10 = Changhua
|div_10 = Changhua County
|pop_10 = 232,505

}}
|}

===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|Taiwanese people|Han Taiwanese|Han Chinese|Taiwanese indigenous peoples|Plains indigenous peoples}}
The ROC government reports that 95 percent of the population is ethnically [[Han Chinese]].<ref>{{cite web |title=PEOPLE |url=https://www.taiwan.gov.tw/content_2.php |website=Government Portal of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |access-date=21 February 2024 |language=en |date=21 February 2024}}</ref> There are also 2.4 percent indigenous [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] peoples and 2.6 percent new immigrants primarily from China and Southeast Asia.<ref>{{cite book|date=October 2021|title=2021–2022 Taiwan at a Glance|url=https://multilingual.mofa.gov.tw/web/web_UTF-8/MOFA/glance2021-2022/2021-2022%20Taiwan%20at%20a%20Glance%20(English).pdf|publisher= Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)|page=16|isbn=978-986-5447-31-1}}</ref>

Most [[Han Taiwanese]] are descended from the [[Hoklo people]], native to the coastal regions of southern [[Fujian]], and the [[Hakka people]], native to eastern [[Guangdong]]. Hoklo and Hakka migrants arrived in large numbers during the 17th and 18th century. Descendants of Hoklo now compose approximately 70 percent of Taiwan's population.<ref name="cia-factbook"/> Descendants of Hakka make up about 15 percent of the population. Another minority group, called ''[[waishengren]]'', comprises those who arrived from China during the 1940s or are descended from them.<ref>{{cite book | surname = Yan | given = Margaret Mian | title = Introduction to Chinese Dialectology | publisher = LINCOM Europa | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-3-89586-629-6 | page = 169 }}</ref> [[Genetic history of East Asians|Genetic studies]] indicate that the Han people in Taiwan are closer to southern Chinese compared to northern Chinese and, similar to several other groups of Han Chinese, had mixed with Island [[Ethnic groups in Southeast Asia|Southeast Asians]], likely before their migration to Taiwan.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lo |first=Yun-Hua |year=2021 |title=Detecting Genetic Ancestry and Adaptation in the Taiwanese Han People |url=https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/38/10/4149/5955855 |journal=[[Molecular Biology and Evolution]] |volume=38 |issue=10 |pages=4149–4165 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msaa276 |pmc=8476137 |pmid=33170928 |access-date=18 October 2022 |quote=Consequently, our results showed that the ISEA ancestry in the Taiwanese Han was the outcome of population mixtures rather than shared ancestry, and the admixture event likely occurred before the Taiwanese Han ancestors migrated to Taiwan (fig. 2A). If the admixture occurred only after the Han people migrated to Taiwan, then the observed results would only be seen in the Taiwanese Han. However, similar F3 outcomes were found in the Chinese Han (supplementary fig. S2, Supplementary Material online), supporting that admixture occurred prior to migration to Taiwan. Moreover, signatures of population admixture were also detected between the ancestors of Taiwanese Han and the Ami Austronesian-speaking population using the F4 test; significant positive F4 values were observed when most Sino-Tibetan speaking populations were individually included in the analysis, except for the Chinese Singapore and Chinese Cantonese (table 1). These two populations appear to be genetically closest to the Taiwanese Han among all other Sino-Tibetan speaking populations (fig. 1B), which is consistent with the hypothesis of population mixture before the ancestors of Taiwanese Han migrated to Taiwan.}}</ref>

[[Taiwanese Indigenous peoples]] number about 584,000, and the government recognises 16 groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cip.gov.tw/zh-tw/news/data-list/940F9579765AC6A0/index.html?cumid=940F9579765AC6A0|title=原住民人口數統計資料|website=Council of Indigenous Peoples|date=20 December 2010 |language=zh|access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref> The [[Amis people|Ami]], [[Atayal people|Atayal]], [[Bunun people|Bunun]], [[Kanakanavu people|Kanakanavu]], [[Kavalan people|Kavalan]], [[Paiwan people|Paiwan]], [[Puyuma people|Puyuma]], [[Rukai people|Rukai]], [[Saisiyat people|Saisiyat]], [[Saaroa people|Saaroa]], [[Sakizaya people|Sakizaya]], [[Sediq people|Sediq]], [[Thao people|Thao]], [[Truku people|Truku]] and [[Tsou people|Tsou]] live mostly in the eastern half of the island, while the [[Yami people|Yami]] inhabit [[Orchid Island]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-04.xls |title=Indigenous People |publisher=MOI Statistical Information Service |date=February 2012 |access-date=14 April 2012 |archive-date=20 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620042553/http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/month/m1-04.xls }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=An Overview of Taiwan's Indigenous Groups |url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/indigenous/ |publisher=Government Information Office |year=2006 |access-date=14 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411063355/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/indigenous/ |archive-date=11 April 2012}}</ref>

===Languages===
{{Main|Languages of Taiwan}}
[[File:Map of the most commonly used home language in Taiwan.svg|thumb|upright=1.25|Most commonly used home language in each area, darker in proportion to the lead over the next most common:{{Legend|#000080|[[Mandarin Chinese]]}}{{Legend|#008000|[[Hokkien]] or Min Nan}}{{Legend|#FF0066|[[Hakka Chinese]]}}{{Legend|#800000|[[Austronesian languages]]}}]]

The Republic of China does not have any legally designated [[official language]]. [[Taiwanese Mandarin|Mandarin]] is the primary language used in business and education, and is spoken by the vast majority of the population. [[Traditional Chinese]] is used as the writing system.<ref name="yb-languages">{{cite book |title=The Republic of China Yearbook 2011 |publisher=Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan) |chapter=Chapter 2: People and Language |chapter-url=http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch02D.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514004814/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/docs/ch02D.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2012}}</ref>

Around 70% of Taiwan's population belong to the [[Hoklo]] ethnic group and are native speakers of [[Taiwanese Hokkien]].<ref>{{cite web |url =  http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=TW |title=Taiwan |website=[[Ethnologue]]|quote=Principal languages}}</ref> The [[Hakka]] group, comprising some 14–18 percent of the population, speak [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]]. Although Mandarin is the language of instruction in schools and dominates television and radio, non-Mandarin [[varieties of Chinese|Chinese varieties]] have undergone a revival in public life in Taiwan, particularly since restrictions on their use were lifted in the 1990s.<ref name="yb-languages" />

[[Formosan languages]] are spoken primarily by the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. They do not belong to the Chinese or Sino-Tibetan language family, but to the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian language family]], and are written in the [[Writing systems of Formosan languages|Latin alphabet]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Official documents issued in Aboriginal languages |newspaper=Taipei Times |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/07/20/2003674932 |access-date=20 July 2017}}</ref> Their use among aboriginal minority groups has been in decline as usage of Mandarin has risen.<ref name="yb-languages" /> Of the 14 extant languages, five are considered [[moribund language|moribund]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zeitoun |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Yu |first2=Ching-Hua |title=The Formosan Language Archive: Linguistic Analysis and Language Processing |url=http://aclclp.org.tw/clclp/v10n2/v10n2a2.pdf |journal=Computational Linguistics and Chinese Language Processing |volume=10 |issue=2 |page=168 |access-date=4 August 2012 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720000756/http://aclclp.org.tw/clclp/v10n2/v10n2a2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Since the [[May Fourth Movement]], [[written vernacular Chinese]] had replaced [[Classical Chinese]] and emerged as the mainstream [[Written vernacular Chinese|written Chinese]] in the Republic of China. Classical Chinese continued to be widely used in government documents until reforms in the 1970s to shift the written style to a more integrated vernacular Chinese and Classical Chinese style ({{lang|zh-hant|文白合一行文}}).<ref>{{cite book|first=Feng-fu|last=Tsao|chapter=The language planning situation in Taiwan|pages=60–106|editor1-last=Baldauf|editor1-first=Richard B.|editor2-first=Robert B.|editor2-last=Kaplan|title=Language planning in Nepal, Taiwan, and Sweden|publisher=Multilingual Matters|year=2000|volume=115|isbn=978-1-85359-483-0}} pages 75–76.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Cheong|first=Ching|title=Will Taiwan break away: the rise of Taiwanese nationalism|publisher=World Scientific|year=2001|page=187|isbn=978-981-02-4486-6}}</ref> On 1 January 2005, the [[Executive Yuan]] also changed its long-standing convention on the [[Horizontal and vertical writing in East Asian scripts|direction of writing]] in official documents from vertical to horizontal. Standalone Classical Chinese is occasionally used in formal or ceremonial occasions, such as religious or cultural rites. The ''[[National Anthem of the Republic of China]]'' ({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|中華民國國歌}}), for example, is in Classical Chinese. Most official [[Government of the Republic of China|government]], [[Law of Taiwan|legal]], and [[Ministry of Justice (Taiwan)|judiciary]] documents, as well as [[Supreme Court of the Republic of China|courts rulings]] use a combined vernacular Chinese and Classical Chinese style.<ref>{{cite web|title=法律統一用語表-常見公文用語說明|url=http://oga.ncu.edu.tw/ncuoga/dispatch/doc/%E5%B8%B8%E8%A6%8B%E5%85%AC%E6%96%87%E7%94%A8%E8%AA%9E%E8%AA%AA%E6%98%8E1050106.pdf|access-date=2 June 2021|language=Chinese|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215646/http://oga.ncu.edu.tw/ncuoga/dispatch/doc/%E5%B8%B8%E8%A6%8B%E5%85%AC%E6%96%87%E7%94%A8%E8%AA%9E%E8%AA%AA%E6%98%8E1050106.pdf}}</ref> As many legal documents are still written in Classical Chinese, which is not easily understood by the general public, a group of Taiwanese have launched the Legal Vernacular Movement, hoping to bring more vernacular Chinese into the legal writings of the [[Republic of China]].<ref>{{cite web |title=《法律白話文運動》掀起一場法律革命 |date=4 February 2018 |url=https://vita.tw/%E6%B3%95%E5%BE%8B%E7%99%BD%E8%A9%B1%E6%96%87%E9%81%8B%E5%8B%95-%E6%8E%80%E8%B5%B7%E4%B8%80%E5%A0%B4%E6%B3%95%E5%BE%8B%E9%9D%A9%E5%91%BD-1fa53d10d9da |access-date=9 July 2021 |language=Chinese }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Taiwan is officially multilingual. A national language in Taiwan is legally defined as "a natural language used by an original people group of Taiwan and the [[Taiwan Sign Language]]".<ref name="natLangAct"/>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Taiwan}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Estimated religious composition in 2020:<ref name="Pew religion stats" />
|label1 = [[Chinese folk religion]] (including [[Confucianism]])
|value1 = 43.8
|color1 = Yellow
|label2 = [[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhists]]
|value2 = 21.2
|color2 = Crimson
|label3 = Others (including [[Taoism|Taoists]])
|value3 = 15.5
|color3 = Blue
|label4 = Unaffiliated
|value4 = 13.7
|color4 = Honeydew
|label5 = Christians
|value5 = 5.8
|color5 = DodgerBlue
|label6 = [[Islam in Taiwan|Muslims]]
|value6 = 1
|color6 = GreenYellow
}}

The Constitution of the Republic of China protects people's [[freedom of religion]] and the practices of belief.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 November 2020 |title=Taiwan to host regional religious freedom forum |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/11/18/2003747134 |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=[[Taipei Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite wikisource |title=Constitution of the Republic of China |at=Chapter II, Article 13 |quote=The people shall have freedom of religious belief}}</ref> [[Freedom of religion in Taiwan|The government respects freedom of religion]], and Taiwan scores highly on the [[International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance|International IDEA]]'s Global State of Democracy Indices for religious freedom.<ref>{{cite web | title = Freedom of religion, Scale | publisher = World Bank| year= 2020 | url = https://govdata360.worldbank.org/indicators/hd6a18526?country=TWN&indicator=41930&viz=line_chart&years=1975,2020 | access-date =19 March 2023}}</ref>

In 2005, the census reported that the five largest religions were: [[Buddhism]], [[Taoism]], [[Yiguandao]], [[Protestantism]], and [[Roman Catholicism]].<ref name="religion">{{cite web | title = Taiwan Yearbook 2006 | publisher = Government of Information Office | year= 2006 | url = http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/22Religion.htm | access-date = 1 September 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070708213510/http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/yearbook/22Religion.htm |archive-date = 8 July 2007}}</ref> According to [[Pew Research Center|Pew Research]], the religious composition of Taiwan in 2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Religious Composition by Country, 2010–2050 |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/percent/Asia-Pacific/ |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |access-date=19 May 2019 |date=2 April 2015}}</ref> is estimated to be 43.8 percent [[Chinese folk religion|Folk religions]], 21.2 percent [[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhist]], 15.5 Others (including [[Taoism]]), 13.7 percent Unaffiliated, 5.8 percent Christian and 1% Muslim. Taiwanese aborigines comprise a notable subgroup among professing Christians.<ref>Stainton, Michael (2002). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120515150705/http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/taiwan/presbyterians-and-aboriginal-revitalization-movement "Presbyterians and the Aboriginal Revitalization Movement in Taiwan"]. ''[[Cultural Survival Quarterly]]'' 26.2, 5 May 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2014.</ref> There has been a small [[Islam in Taiwan|Muslim]] community of [[Hui people]] in Taiwan since the 17th century.<ref>{{cite news |last=Athena Tacet |date=31 December 2014 |title=Islam in Taiwan: Lost in tradition |publisher=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/12/islam-taiwan-lost-tradition-2014123173558796270.html}}</ref>

[[Confucianism]] serves as the foundation of both [[Culture of China|Chinese]] and [[Culture of Taiwan|Taiwanese culture]]. The majority of [[Taiwanese people]] usually combine the secular moral teachings of Confucianism with whatever religions they are affiliated with.

{{As of|2019}}, there were 15,175 [[Place of worship|religious buildings]] in Taiwan, approximately one [[place of worship]] per 1,572 residents. 12,279 temples were dedicated to [[Taoism]] and [[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhism]]. There were 9,684 [[Taoism|Taoist]] Temples and 2,317 [[Buddhism in Taiwan|Buddhist]] Temples.<ref name="表23各宗教教務概況">{{cite web|title=表23各宗教教務概況|url=https://www.ey.gov.tw/File/71A8E0246065BE0|access-date=2 June 2021|language=zh}}</ref> For [[Christianity]], there are 2,845 Churches.<ref name="表23各宗教教務概況"/> On average, there is one temple or church (church) or religious building for every square kilometer. The density of religions and religious buildings in Taiwan is among the highest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steven Crook |date=2020-05-15 |title=Highways and Byways: Bastions of the Unity Sect |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2020/05/15/2003736425 |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=[[Taipei Times]] |quote=Few countries can match Taiwan’s density of religions and religious buildings.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Michelle Yun |date=2018-08-25 |title=Dragons and steamed buns at Taiwan's temple-like church |url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/08/25/dragons-and-steamed-buns-at-taiwans-temple-like-church.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=The Jakarta Post |publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]] |language=en |quote=Taiwan embraces freedom of religion and has one of the highest densities of temples in the world, with close to 70 percent of the population believers in Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk traditions.}}</ref>

A significant percentage of the population is non-religious. Taiwan's lack of state-sanctioned discrimination, and generally high regard for freedom of religion or belief earned it a joint #1 ranking in the 2018 [[Freedom of Thought Report]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott Morgan |date=1 November 2018 |title=Taiwan highly-ranked as good place to live as an atheist: report |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3565789 |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=[[Taiwan News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/best-and-worst-countries-atheist-4310703-Oct2018/|title=These are the best and worst countries in the world to be an atheist|work=journal.ie|access-date=2 November 2018|date=28 October 2018|last1=Halpin|first1=Hayley}}</ref> On the other hand, the [[Indonesian migrant worker]] community in Taiwan (estimated to total 258,084 people) has experienced religious restrictions by local employers or the government.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tampubolon |first=Manotar |date=16 August 2019 |title=Violations of Religious Freedom of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Taiwan |url=http://repository.uki.ac.id/1239/ |journal=International Conference on Civilisation Dialogue 2019 |pages=18 |publisher=[[University of Malaya]] |via=[[Universitas Kristen Indonesia|Universitas Kristen Indonesia Institutional Repository]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sampurna |first=Rizki Hegia |date=31 December 2019 |title=Accommodating Religious Practices in the Workplace: The Case of Indonesian Workers in Taiwan |url=https://society.fisip.ubb.ac.id/index.php/society/article/view/93 |journal=Society |language=en |publisher=[[University of Bangka Belitung]] |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=159–172 |doi=10.33019/society.v7i2.93 |s2cid=214260850 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Education===
{{Main|Education in Taiwan|Academia Sinica|History of education in Taiwan}}
{{See also|Scholarships in Taiwan|Economy of Taiwan#Science}}
[[File:臺灣大學校門.JPG|thumb|The gate of [[National Taiwan University]], which is widely considered to be the most prestigious university in Taiwan<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2023 | title=QS World University Rankings – 2023 | publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited | access-date=27 October 2022}}</ref>]]
Taiwan is well known for adhering to the Confucian paradigm of valuing education as a means to improve one's socioeconomic position in society.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://journals.openedition.org/ries/3800 | title=A matter of trust: shadow education in Taiwan | author=Prudence Chou, Chuing | journal= Revue Internationale d'Éducation de Sèvres| year=2014| doi=10.4000/ries.3800| doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite web |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/fears-over-over-education-in-taiwan/news-story/aeae2a2d83898f684fd0ac5aaffd5816 |title=Fears over over-education in Taiwan |date= 3 September 2012 |website=The Australian}}</ref> Heavy investment and a cultural valuing of education has made the resource-poor nation to be consistently ranked to the top of global education rankings. Taiwan is one of the top-performing countries in reading literacy, mathematics and sciences. In 2015, Taiwanese students achieved one of the world's best results in mathematics, science and literacy, as tested by the [[Programme for International Student Assessment]] (PISA), with the average student scoring 519, compared with the OECD average of 493, placing it seventh in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=PISA – Results in Focus |publisher=OECD |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf|page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=TWN&treshold=10&topic=PI | title=Chinese Taipei Student performance (PISA 2015) | publisher=OECD | access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-worldwide-ranking-of-math-science-reading-skills-2016-12 |title=The latest ranking of top countries in math, reading, and science is out – and the US didn't crack the top 10 |last= Kiersz |first=Andy |date=16 December 2016}}</ref>

The Taiwanese education system has been praised for its comparatively high test results and its major role in promoting Taiwan's economic development while creating one of the world's most highly educated workforces.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://isc.bc.edu/PDF/t03_download/T03_M_Chap1.pdf|title=TIMSS Math 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://isc.bc.edu/PDF/t03_download/T03_S_Chap1.pdf| title= TIMSS Science 2003}}</ref> Taiwan has also been praised for its high university entrance rate where the university acceptance rate has increased from around 20 percent before the 1980s to 49 percent in 1996 and over 95 percent since 2008, among the highest in Asia.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |url=https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/education-in-taiwan-taiwans-colleges-and-universities/ |title=Education in Taiwan: Taiwan's Colleges and Universities |last=Chou |first=Chuing |date=12 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/05/07/taiwan-too-many-college-graduates/26945515/ | title=Taiwan's problem? Too many college graduates, too few machinists | work=USA Today | date=7 May 2015 | access-date=19 August 2019 | author=Wiese, Elizabeth}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web | url=https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/world-view/higher-education-crisis-taiwan | title=Higher Education Crisis in Taiwan | website=Inside Higher Ed | date=5 August 2018 | access-date=19 August 2019 | author=Hsueh, Chia-Ming}}</ref> The nation's high university entrance rate has created a highly skilled workforce making Taiwan one of the most highly educated countries in the world with 68.5 percent of Taiwanese high school students going on to attend university.<ref name="auto1">{{cite book | title=Patriarchy in East Asia: A Comparative Sociology of Gender | publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] | author=Sechiyama, Kaku | year=2013 | page=254 | isbn=978-90-04-23060-6}}</ref> Taiwan has a high percentage of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree where 45 percent of Taiwanese aged 25–64 hold a bachelor's degree or higher compared with the average of 33 percent among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://chinapost.nownews.com/20160313-28397 | title=5 mil. Taiwanese hold degrees from higher education institutions | work=China Post | date=13 March 2016 | access-date=19 August 2019 | archive-date=19 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319085831/https://chinapost.nownews.com/20160313-28397 }}</ref>

On the other hand, the education system has been criticized for placing excessive pressure on students while eschewing creativity and producing an excess supply of overeducated university graduates. Many graduates consequently face unemployment or [[underemployment]] due to a lack of graduate-level jobs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/education/university-degrees-mindset-shift-needed |title=University degrees: Mindset shift needed |last=Lee |first=Pearl |website=asiaone.com |publisher=The Straits Times |date=13 April 2015 |access-date=15 January 2017 |archive-date=18 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118203426/http://news.asiaone.com/news/education/university-degrees-mindset-shift-needed }}</ref><ref name="auto2" /> Taiwan's universities have also been under criticism for not being able to fully meet the requirements and demands of Taiwan's 21st-century fast-moving labor market, citing a skills mismatch among a large number of self-assessed, overeducated graduates who do not fit the demands of the modern Taiwanese labor market.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://monitor.icef.com/2016/08/taiwans-higher-education-enrolment-starts-downward-slide/ |title=Taiwan's higher education enrolment starts a downward slide |date=16 August 2016 |website=ICEF Monitor}}</ref> The Taiwanese government has been criticized for failing to adequately address this discrepancy in labor supply and demand.<ref name="auto3" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-24156168 |title=The draw of blue collar jobs in Taiwan |last=Sui |first=Cindy |work=BBC News |date=23 September 2013}}</ref>

As the Taiwanese economy is largely science and technology based, the labor market demands people who have achieved some form of higher education, particularly related to science and engineering to gain a competitive edge when searching for employment. Although current Taiwanese law mandates only nine years of schooling, 95 percent of junior high graduates go on to attend a senior vocational high school, university, junior college, trade school, or other higher education institution.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{cite book | title=Taiwan Country: Strategic Information and Developments | publisher=International Business Publications | year=2012 | page=25 | isbn=978-1-4387-7570-8}}</ref> Many Taiwanese students attend [[cram schools#Taiwan|cram schools]], or ''buxiban'', to improve skills and knowledge on problem solving against exams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://investintaiwan.nat.gov.tw/en/news/200509/2005090201.html |title=Over 70% of Taiwanese parents send kids to English bushibans |publisher=Invest in Taiwan, Department of Investment Services |date=2 September 2005 |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080608050510/http://investintaiwan.nat.gov.tw/en/news/200509/2005090201.html |archive-date = 8 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=C. Smith|first=Douglas|title=Middle education in the Middle Kingdom|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1997|page=119|url={{GBurl|id=NqJP5uE9LewC|p=119}}|isbn=978-0-275-95641-7}}</ref>

Since [[Made in China 2025]] was announced in 2015, aggressive campaigns to recruit Taiwanese chip industry talent to support its mandates resulted in the loss of more than 3,000 chip engineers to mainland China,<ref name="Nikkei">{{cite news |last1=Ihara |first1=Kensaku |date=3 December 2020 |title=Taiwan loses 3,000 chip engineers to 'Made in China 2025' |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/China-tech/Taiwan-loses-3-000-chip-engineers-to-Made-in-China-2025 |access-date=11 November 2020 |work=[[Nikkei Asia]]}}</ref> and raised concerns of a "[[brain drain]]" in Taiwan.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kyng |first1=James |title=Taiwan's brain drain: semiconductor engineers head to China |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6eab0c1c-167f-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/6eab0c1c-167f-11ea-9ee4-11f260415385 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=11 November 2020 |work=ft.com |publisher=The Financial Times |date=4 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Strong |first1=Matthew |title=Taiwan's 'Godfather of DRAM' leaves China |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4021096 |access-date=11 November 2020 |work=taiwannews.com |date=1 October 2020}}</ref>

{{As of|2020}}, the [[literacy rate]] in Taiwan was 99.03 percent.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=zh:國人教育水準 |url=https://www.gender.ey.gov.tw/gecdb/Stat_Statistics_DetailData.aspx?sn=cC3K6vUAfeUlTCcfbr03CQ%3d%3d&d=m9ww9odNZAz2Rc5Ooj%2fwIQ%3d%3d |website=gender.ey.gov.tw |access-date=3 October 2021 |language=zh}}</ref>

===Health===
{{Main|Healthcare in Taiwan}}
[[File:Taipei Taiwan National-Taiwan-University-Hospital-05.jpg|thumb|[[National Taiwan University Hospital]]]]

The current [[healthcare system]], known as National Health Insurance (NHI), was instituted in 1995. NHI is a [[Single-payer health care|single-payer]] compulsory social insurance plan that centralizes the disbursement of healthcare funds. The system promises equal access to healthcare for all citizens, and the population coverage had reached 99 percent by the end of 2004.<ref>Fanchiang, Cecilia.[http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/Tj/ct.asp?xItem=20439&CtNode=122 "New IC health insurance card expected to offer many benefits"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606010447/http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/Tj/ct.asp?xItem=20439&CtNode=122 |date=6 June 2008 }}, ''Taiwan Journal, 2 January 2004'' Accessed 28 March 2008</ref> NHI is mainly financed through premiums, which are based on the payroll tax, and is supplemented with out-of-pocket co-payments and direct government funding.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=243A2FD60A897110&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8|title=Premium Contribution|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071346/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=243A2FD60A897110&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=B9C9C690524F2543&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8|title=How Premiums Are Calculated|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071249/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=B9C9C690524F2543&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=E5509C8FE29950EA&topn=1D1ECC54F86E9050|title=Copayments|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071408/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=E5509C8FE29950EA&topn=1D1ECC54F86E9050}}</ref> Low-income families, veterans, centenarians, children under three, and catastrophic diseases are exempt from co-payments. Co-pays are reduced for disabled and low-income households maintain 100 percent premium coverage.

Early in the program, the payment system was predominantly [[fee-for-service]]. Most health providers operate in the private sector and form a competitive market on the health delivery side. However, many healthcare providers took advantage of the system by offering unnecessary services. In the face of increasing loss and the need for cost containment, NHI changed the payment system from fee-for-service to a global budget, a kind of [[prospective payment system]], in 2002.

The implementation of universal healthcare created fewer [[health disparities]] for lower-income citizens in Taiwan. According to a recently published survey, out of 3,360&nbsp;patients surveyed at a randomly chosen hospital, 75.1 percent of the patients said they are "very satisfied" with the hospital service; 20.5 percent said they are "okay" with the service. Only 4.4 percent of the patients said they are either "not satisfied" or "very not satisfied" with the service or care provided.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Taiwanese Hospital Public Satisfaction Poll |date=October 2004|publisher=Taiwan Department of Health |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090921050255/http://www.hcquality.helthe.net/reports/showreports.php?id=2_1|url=http://www.hcquality.helthe.net/reports/showreports.php?id=2_1|archive-date=21 September 2009|language=zh}}</ref>

The Taiwanese disease control authority is the [[Taiwan Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC). During the [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|SARS]] outbreak in March 2003 there were 347&nbsp;confirmed cases. During the outbreak the CDC and local governments set up monitoring stations throughout public transportation, recreational sites and other public areas. With full containment in July 2003, there has not been a case of SARS since.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Center for Disease Control |date=18 July 2006 |publisher=Taiwan CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov.tw |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807030114/http://www.cdc.gov.tw/ |archive-date=7 August 2016}}</ref> Owing to the lessons from SARS, a {{ill|National Health Command Center|fr|Centre de commandement national de la santé}} was established in 2004, which includes the [[Central Epidemic Command Center]] (CECC). The CECC has played a central role in Taiwan's approach to epidemics, including [[COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan|COVID-19]].

In 2019, the infant mortality rate was 4.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, with 20&nbsp;physicians and 71 hospital beds per 10,000&nbsp;people.<ref>{{cite web|date=17 July 2020|title=Statistics of Medical Care Institution's Status & Hospital Utilization 2019|url=https://www.mohw.gov.tw/cp-4932-54834-2.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/354.html|title=Infant mortality rate|access-date=16 August 2020|archive-date=17 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817221237/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/354.html}}</ref> Life expectancy at birth in 2020 is 77.5&nbsp;years and 83.9&nbsp;years for males and females, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|date=12 August 2020|title=Taiwan|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/taiwan/}}</ref>