Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Taiwan instead of Japan, you would:

Health

live 3.7 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022. In Taiwan, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 90.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Taiwan, however, that number is 1.5% as of 2012.

pay a 19.6% lower top tax rate

Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In Taiwan, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

be 44.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Taiwan, that number is 3.7% as of 2019.

Life

be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Japan, approximately 1.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Taiwan, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2022.

Geography

see 94.7% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Taiwan, that number is 1,566 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Taxation Administration, Ministry of Finance, R.O.C., National Tax Agency Japan.

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

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