| Category | Taiwan | US |
| total area | 35980 sq km | 9,826,630 sq km |
| population | 22.9 million | 301.1 million |
| median age: | 35.5 | 36.6 years |
| birth rate: | 8.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 14.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| male life expectancy: | 74.65 years | male: 75.15 years |
| female life expectancy: | 80.74 years | female: 80.97 years (2007 est.) |
| government branches: | executive, legislative, judicial, examination, and control | executive, legislative, judicial |
| ethnic groups: | Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84% mainland Chinese 14% indigenous 2% | white 81.7% black 12.9% Asian 4.2% Amerindian and Alaska native 1% native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% |
| net migration rate: | 0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 3.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| religion: | mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% | Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10% (2002 est.) |
| household savings rate: | 20% (2007) Taipei Times | -.3% (2005) Bureau of Economic Analysis |
| homeownership rate: | 86% (2002) Lu and Chen | 69% (2005) Danter.com |
| average home size: | 42.2 ping (2006) Liberty Times | 70 ping USA Today |
| suffrage (投票, 參政權, 選舉權): | 20 years of age | 18 years of age |
| legislative branch | unicameral legislative yuan | bicameral congress |
| (225 seats; 168 members elected by popular vote) | senate (100 seats) and house of representatives (435 seats) | |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $29,600 (2006 est.) | $43,800 (2006 est.) |
| population below poverty line: | 0.9% (2006 est.) | 12% (2004 est.) |
| public debt: | 34.6% of GDP (2006 est.) | 64.7% of GDP (2005 est.) |
| export partners: | China 22.5%, Hong Kong 15.7%, US 15%, Japan 7.3% (2006 est.) | Canada 22.2%, Mexico 12.9%, Japan 5.8%, China 5.3%, UK 4.4% (2006) |
| import partners: | Japan 23%, China 11.9%, US 10.9%, South Korea 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.9% | Canada 16%, China 15.9%, Mexico 10.4%, Japan 7.9%, Germany 4.8% |
| major exports 2006 (economist.com) | machinery&electrical equipment 49.8%, base metals 10.7%, precision instruments 8.2%, plastic&rubber articles 7.1% | capital goods (excl auto) 45.8%, industrial supplies 30.5%, consumer goods (excl auto) 14.3%, automotive vehicles, parts&supplies 11.8% |
All data from CIA Factbook unless otherwise noted.
