Quality of Life Comparison


If you lived in Taiwan instead of United States, you would:


be 13.6% less likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed. In Taiwan, that number is 3.8%.

be 90.1% less likely to be live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line. In Taiwan, however, that number is 1.5%.

make 15.5% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $59,500, while in Taiwan, the GDP per capita is $50,300.

spend 13.6% more on taxes

United States has a top tax rate of 39.6%. In Taiwan, the top tax rate is 45.0%.


be 25.9% less likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.8 children die before they reach the age of one. In Taiwan, on the other hand, 4.3 children do.

have 33.6% less children

In United States, there are approximately 12.5 babies per 1,000 people. In Taiwan, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people.

Basic Needs

be 15.5% more likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 76.2% of the population has internet access. In Taiwan, about 88.0% do.


see 92.1% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Taiwan, that number is 1,566 km.

Taiwan: At a glance

Taiwan is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 32,260 sq km. In 1895, military defeat forced China's Qing Dynasty to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan came under Chinese Nationalist control after World War II. Following the communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. Beginning in the 1950s, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within the governing structure. This process expanded rapidly in the 1980s. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist (Kuomintang or KMT) to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be management of sensitive relations between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of Taiwan's eventual status - as well as domestic priorities for economic reform and growth.

How big is Taiwan compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

The statistics on this page were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, Taxation Administration, Ministry of Finance, R.O.C..


Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Taiwan. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.

Share this