Taiwan Immigration Data Reveals China, Not Vietnam, Has Most Foreign Spouses

According to official statistics released by Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency, foreign spouses living in Taiwan are most frequently from mainland China rather than Vietnam, challenging widespread public assumptions shaped by everyday commercial and cultural visibility.

The National Immigration Agency published cumulative demographic data running from January 1987 through June 2026. The figures show that when mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau are grouped together, individuals from mainland China represent the largest segment of marriage migrants in Taiwan by a wide margin.

Official Immigration Data Breaks Longstanding Demographic Assumptions

Many residents assume Vietnamese nationals form the largest group of new residents due to the prevalence of Vietnamese language services and eateries across local neighborhoods. However, the official breakdown places mainland China at the top of the historical registry.

According to the National Immigration Agency statistics, mainland Chinese spouses account for 59.49 percent of the cumulative total over the nearly 30-year tracking period. Vietnamese spouses rank second, making up 20.52 percent of all recorded marriage migrants.

Together, mainland China and Vietnam account for roughly 80 percent of all international and cross-strait marriage migration recorded in Taiwan since the late 1980s.

Complete Breakdown of Marriage Migrant Origins in Taiwan

Beyond the top two source territories, the immigration agency’s cumulative rankings detail several other primary countries of origin for new residents.

Mainland China: 59.49 percent

Vietnam: 20.52 percent

Indonesia: 5.38 percent

Hong Kong and Macau: 3.85 percent

Philippines: 2.13 percent

Additional source countries listed in the official records include Thailand at 1.82 percent, Japan at 0.99 percent, Cambodia at 0.72 percent, and South Korea at 0.38 percent. All other nations combined make up the remaining 4.72 percent of the registry.

Distinguishing Cumulative Totals from Recent Annual Trends

Immigration officials note that while mainland China holds the highest share in the multi-decade cumulative dataset, annual marriage registration numbers fluctuate year by year. The long-term figures capture a broader portrait of Taiwan’s evolving social landscape and the integration of multicultural families over the past several decades.