Population (2009 est): 22.9 million.
Annual growth rate (2004 est): 0.34%.
Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese, Hakka.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance (2003)--99.5%. Literacy (2003)Ñ97.0%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2004)--0.54%. Life expectancy (2003 )--male 73.4 yrs.; female 79.1yrs.
Work force (June 2004): 10.126 million.
Taiwan has a population of 21.5 million. More than 18 million, the "native" Taiwanese are descendants of Chinese who migrated from Fujian and Guangdong Provinces on the mainland, primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries. The "mainlanders," who arrived on Taiwan after 1945, came from all parts of mainland China. About 370,000 aborigines inhabit the mountainous central and eastern parts of the island and are believed to be of Malayo-Polynesian origin.
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