Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Economy

be 13.6% less likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Taiwan, that number is 3.8% as of 2017.

be 90.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Taiwan, however, that number is 1.5% as of 2012.

make 15.6% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $59,800 as of 2017, while in Taiwan, the GDP per capita is $50,500 as of 2017.

pay a 13.6% higher top tax rate

United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Taiwan, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 20.8% less likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.3 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Taiwan, on the other hand, 4.2 children do as of 2020.

have 35.5% fewer children

In United States, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Taiwan, there are 8.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Geography

see 92.1% less coastline

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

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

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 United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

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