http://www.humantruth.info/taiwan.html
By Vexen Crabtree 2013
Taiwan Republic of China | ![]() |
---|---|
Status | Proto Independent State |
Social and Moral Index | The Best (#1) |
Capital | Taipei |
Land Area | |
Location | Asia |
Groupings | Small Islands |
Population | |
GNI | |
ISO3166-1 Codes | TW, TWN, 1581 |
Internet Domain | .tw2 |
Currency | Dollar (TWD)3 |
Telephone | +8864 |
In all practical respects, Taiwan is an independent nation-state. But China claims that Taiwan is still part of China and has the aim of governing it again in the future.
“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 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 the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of Taiwan's eventual status - as well as domestic political and economic reform.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)5
“With its all-round adventure landscape, heritage-rich capital, diverse folk traditions and feted night market scene, Taiwan offers a continent-sized travel list for one green island. Famed for centuries as Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Isle), in Taiwan you can criss-cross mountains on colonial-era hiking trails, cycle a lone highway with the blue Pacific on one side and green volcanic arcs on the other or climb to the summit of Yushan, Taiwan´s 3952m alpine roof.
To fuel all of this adventure, Taiwan offers the gamut of Chinese cuisines, as well as the best Japanese outside Tokyo, and a full-house of local specialities from Hakka stir-fries and Taipei beef noodles to aboriginal-style barbecued wild boar.
Taiwan will feed your soul, too: the island is heir to the entire Chinese tradition of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and that amorphous collection of deities and demons worshipped as folk faith. But over the centuries the people have blended their way to a unique and tolerant religious culture. In doing so, the Taiwanese have created Asia´s most vibrant democracy, and liberal society, with a raucous free press, gender equality and respect for human rights and increasingly animal rights as well.”
Social & Moral Development Index7,8 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank7,8 | |
1 | Taiwan | 29.4 |
2 | Norway | 30.2 |
3 | Denmark | 31.1 |
4 | Sweden | 32.8 |
5 | Finland | 33.9 |
6 | Netherlands | 34.7 |
7 | Germany | 36.4 |
8 | Austria | 36.8 |
9 | New Zealand | 37.3 |
10 | Canada | 37.6 |
11 | Switzerland | 38.6 |
12 | Iceland | 39.1 |
Asia Avg | 87.5 | |
World Avg | 86.4 | |
q=195. |
The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.
#equality #freedom #freethought #homosexuality #human_rights #mass_media #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #slavery #tolerance
Compared to Asia (2020)9,10 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank9,10 | |
1 | Hong Kong | 23.3 |
2 | Taiwan | 28.2 |
3 | Japan | 44.5 |
4 | S. Korea | 46.5 |
5 | Cyprus | 48.5 |
6 | Mongolia | 60.5 |
7 | Georgia | 65.5 |
8 | Armenia | 74.0 |
9 | Philippines | 78.3 |
10 | Kyrgyzstan | 81.4 |
11 | Israel | 83.5 |
12 | Turkey | 86.2 |
13 | Russia | 86.9 |
Asia Avg | 102.2 | |
q=51. |
Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)9,10 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank9,10 | |
1 | Sweden | 9.9 |
2 | Denmark | 14.7 |
3 | Norway | 15.5 |
4 | Netherlands | 16.5 |
5 | New Zealand | 19.0 |
... | ||
15 | Germany | 26.8 |
16 | Uruguay | 26.9 |
17 | UK | 27.9 |
18 | Taiwan | 28.2 |
19 | Spain | 29.9 |
20 | Slovenia | 34.9 |
21 | Costa Rica | 36.7 |
World Avg | 89.0 | |
q=199. |
The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway9. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Palestine and Somalia9.
The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe9, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia9.
For more, see:
Human Rights & Tolerance:
Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)11 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Rank11 | |
1 | Hong Kong | 1 |
2 | Switzerland | 2 |
3 | New Zealand | 3 |
4 | Ireland | 4 |
5 | Denmark | 5 |
... | ||
23 | USA | 23 |
24 | Latvia | 24 |
25 | Iceland | 25 |
26 | Taiwan | 26 |
27 | Slovakia | 27 |
28 | Italy | 28 |
Asia Avg | 94.6 | |
World Avg | 79.7 | |
q=159. |
Press Freedom (2013)12 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better12 | |
1 | Finland | 638 |
2 | Netherlands | 648 |
3 | Norway | 652 |
4 | Luxembourg | 668 |
5 | Andorra | 682 |
... | ||
43 | Trinidad & Tobago | 2312 |
44 | Malta | 2330 |
45 | Burkina Faso | 2370 |
46 | Taiwan | 2382 |
47 | Samoa | 2384 |
48 | Haiti | 2409 |
Asia Avg | 4378 | |
World Avg | 3249 | |
q=178. |
Slavery (2018)13 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better % Victims13 | |
1 | Japan | 0.03 |
2 | Canada | 0.05 |
3 | Taiwan | 0.05 |
4 | Australia | 0.06 |
5 | New Zealand | 0.06 |
6 | Chile | 0.08 |
7 | Mauritius | 0.10 |
8 | Uruguay | 0.10 |
9 | Costa Rica | 0.13 |
10 | USA | 0.13 |
11 | Argentina | 0.13 |
12 | Hong Kong | 0.14 |
Asia Avg | 0.79 | |
World Avg | 0.65 | |
q=167. |
Prejudice:
LGBT Equality (2017)14 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Higher is better Score14 | |
1 | Netherlands | 103 |
2 | Belgium | 90 |
3 | Sweden | 86 |
4 | Brazil | 81 |
5 | Spain | 79 |
... | ||
63 | Suriname | 30 |
64 | Venezuela | 30 |
65 | Lithuania | 30 |
66 | Taiwan | 25 |
67 | Chile | 25 |
68 | Ukraine | 25 |
Asia Avg | -02.1 | |
World Avg | 12.6 | |
q=196. |
Freedom of Thought (2021)15 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better15 | |
1 | Belgium | 1.0 |
2 | Netherlands | 1.0 |
3 | Taiwan | 1.0 |
4 | Sao Tome & Principe | 1.3 |
5 | Ecuador | 1.3 |
6 | France | 1.3 |
7 | Bolivia | 1.3 |
8 | Nauru | 1.3 |
9 | Iceland | 1.5 |
10 | Congo, (Brazzaville) | 1.5 |
11 | Sweden | 1.5 |
12 | Norway | 1.5 |
Asia Avg | 3.7 | |
World Avg | 3.0 | |
q=196. |
#education #english #intelligence #it_security #maths #modernity #research #science #technology #the_internet
Compared to Asia (2020)16 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank16 | |
1 | Taiwan | 10.0 |
2 | Japan | 21.7 |
3 | S. Korea | 24.3 |
4 | Singapore | 28.4 |
5 | Hong Kong | 29.0 |
6 | Israel | 31.0 |
7 | Russia | 39.8 |
8 | Turkey | 49.3 |
9 | Macau | 50.8 |
10 | Cyprus | 52.5 |
11 | Malaysia | 53.1 |
12 | UAE | 58.3 |
13 | Uzbekistan | 60.7 |
Asia Avg | 78.5 | |
q=51. |
Modernity and Learning (2020)16 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank16 | |
1 | Finland | 8.7 |
2 | Taiwan | 10.0 |
3 | Estonia | 15.7 |
4 | Denmark | 15.9 |
5 | Switzerland | 16.4 |
6 | Belgium | 16.9 |
7 | New Zealand | 17.6 |
8 | Sweden | 18.1 |
9 | Czechia | 18.4 |
10 | Australia | 19.1 |
11 | Germany | 19.5 |
12 | Iceland | 19.6 |
13 | Canada | 20.0 |
World Avg | 82.9 | |
q=205. |
Modernity and Education:
Research and Development (2016) | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Higher is better % RDP PPP | |
1 | S. Korea | 4.2917 |
2 | Israel | 4.1117 |
3 | Japan | 3.5817 |
4 | Finland | 3.1717 |
5 | Sweden | 3.1617 |
6 | Denmark | 3.0517 |
7 | Taiwan | 3.0117 |
8 | Austria | 3.0018 |
9 | Switzerland | 2.9619 |
10 | Germany | 2.8417 |
11 | USA | 2.7420 |
12 | Belgium | 2.4617 |
Asia Avg | 0.75 | |
World Avg | 0.84 | |
q=126. |
Maths, Science & Reading (2015)21 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Higher is better Score21 | |
1 | Singapore | 1655 |
2 | Hong Kong | 1598 |
3 | Japan | 1586 |
4 | Macau | 1582 |
5 | Estonia | 1573 |
6 | Taiwan | 1571 |
7 | Canada | 1571 |
8 | Finland | 1568 |
9 | S. Korea | 1557 |
10 | China | 154322 |
11 | Ireland | 1528 |
12 | Slovenia | 1528 |
Asia Avg | 1398 | |
World Avg | 1389 | |
q=70. |
IQ (2006)23 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Higher is better23 | |
1 | Hong Kong | 108 |
2 | Singapore | 108 |
3 | S. Korea | 106 |
4 | Japan | 105 |
5 | Taiwan | 105 |
6 | China | 105 |
7 | Italy | 102 |
8 | Iceland | 101 |
9 | Switzerland | 101 |
10 | Mongolia | 101 |
11 | Netherlands | 100 |
12 | Norway | 100 |
Asia Avg | 90.4 | |
World Avg | 85.6 | |
q=138. |
Technology and Information:
IT Security (2013)24 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better24 | |
1 | Ireland | 0.11 |
2 | Luxembourg | 0.11 |
3 | Belize | 0.11 |
4 | Hong Kong | 0.12 |
5 | Mexico | 0.16 |
... | ||
14 | Peru | 0.30 |
15 | Latvia | 0.33 |
16 | Pakistan | 0.38 |
17 | Taiwan | 0.44 |
18 | Sweden | 0.44 |
19 | Romania | 0.52 |
Asia Avg | 1.08 | |
World Avg | 0.98 | |
q=81. |
#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics
World Giving Index (2013-2021)25 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better25 | |
1 | Myanmar (Burma) | 2.7 |
2 | New Zealand | 4.0 |
3 | USA | 4.7 |
4 | Australia | 4.9 |
5 | Indonesia | 9.0 |
... | ||
63 | Tajikistan | 50.7 |
64 | Panama | 52.5 |
65 | Kyrgyzstan | 54.9 |
66 | Taiwan | 55.3 |
67 | Honduras | 55.5 |
68 | Belgium | 56.6 |
Asia Avg | 62.5 | |
World Avg | 67.9 | |
q=160. |
Corruption (2012-2016)26 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Higher is better Avg Score26 | |
1 | Denmark | 90.8 |
2 | New Zealand | 90.6 |
3 | Finland | 89.4 |
4 | Sweden | 88.2 |
5 | Norway | 86.0 |
... | ||
33 | Cyprus | 61.6 |
34 | St Vincent & Grenadines | 61.5 |
35 | Israel | 61.2 |
36 | Taiwan | 61.2 |
37 | Poland | 60.8 |
38 | Spain | 60.0 |
Asia Avg | 39.13 | |
World Avg | 43.05 | |
q=176. |
Happiness (2018)27 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Higher is better27 | |
1 | Finland | 7.6 |
2 | Norway | 7.6 |
3 | Denmark | 7.6 |
4 | Iceland | 7.5 |
5 | Switzerland | 7.5 |
... | ||
23 | France | 6.5 |
24 | Mexico | 6.5 |
25 | Chile | 6.5 |
26 | Taiwan | 6.4 |
27 | Panama | 6.4 |
28 | Brazil | 6.4 |
Asia Avg | 5.29 | |
World Avg | 5.38 | |
q=156. |
#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism
Global Peace Index (2021)28 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better28 | |
1 | Iceland | 1.10 |
2 | New Zealand | 1.25 |
3 | Denmark | 1.26 |
4 | Portugal | 1.27 |
5 | Slovenia | 1.32 |
... | ||
31 | Spain | 1.62 |
32 | Italy | 1.65 |
33 | UK | 1.66 |
34 | Taiwan | 1.66 |
35 | Latvia | 1.69 |
36 | Kuwait | 1.69 |
Asia Avg | 2.22 | |
World Avg | 2.08 | |
q=163. |
Impact of Terrorism (2019)29 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Score29 | |
1 | Togo | 0.00 |
2 | Mongolia | 0.00 |
3 | Swaziland | 0.00 |
4 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.00 |
5 | Cambodia | 0.00 |
... | ||
52 | Honduras | 0.99 |
53 | Vietnam | 1.00 |
54 | Montenegro | 1.00 |
55 | Taiwan | 1.01 |
56 | Laos | 1.03 |
57 | Armenia | 1.17 |
Asia Avg | 3.60 | |
World Avg | 2.78 | |
q=150. |
#climate_change #the_environment
Environmental Performance (2018)30 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Higher is better30 | |
1 | Switzerland | 87.4 |
2 | France | 84.0 |
3 | Denmark | 81.6 |
4 | Malta | 80.9 |
5 | Sweden | 80.5 |
... | ||
20 | Japan | 74.7 |
21 | Australia | 74.1 |
22 | Greece | 73.6 |
23 | Taiwan | 72.8 |
24 | Cyprus | 72.6 |
25 | Canada | 72.2 |
Asia Avg | 54.5 | |
World Avg | 56.4 | |
q=180. |
#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion
Disbelief In God (2007)31 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Higher is better %31 | |
1 | Vietnam | 81 |
2 | Japan | 65 |
3 | Sweden | 64 |
4 | Czechia | 61 |
5 | Estonia | 49 |
... | ||
18 | Finland | 28 |
19 | Russia | 27 |
20 | Australia | 25 |
21 | Taiwan | 24 |
22 | New Zealand | 22 |
23 | Canada | 22 |
World Avg | 9.9 | |
q=137. |
Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below32:
Christian | 5.5% |
Muslim | 0.1% |
Hindu | 0.1% |
Buddhist | 21.3% |
Folk Religion | 44.2% |
Jew | 0.1% |
Unaffiliated | 12.7% |
The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%33.
Taiwan has enjoyed an increase in religious liberty since 1989. In that year the Law on Civic Organizations "allowed all religions to exist and removed multiple prohibitions". At the start of this period, in 1990, there were 83 religious groups in Taiwan and this surged to 1062 in the year 2004 "and the total number of temples and churches more than doubled"34.
Links: