Number of foreign nationals in Taiwan rises 9.4% year-on-year to hit record of 648,000

The number represented year-on-year growth of 9.4 percent, an increase of 56,000 people, the statistics show.

Of the total number, 524,000 held Alien Resident Certificates (ARCs), while the others were on visitor's or other types of visas, the data shows.

Some 81.3 percent of the ARC holders were foreign workers, while 8.8 percent were spouses of Taiwanese nationals, according to the statistics. Those foreign spouses had not acquired Taiwan citizenship, the data revealed.

The ARC holders in those two categories accounted for 73 percent of all foreign nationals in Taiwan, the MOI said in a statement.

Citing statistics, the MOI said the sources of foreign workers have changed over the past five years, but it did not give a reason for the shift.

In 2006, the majority of foreign workers in Taiwan were from Thailand, accounting for 27.42 percent, followed by the Philippines with 26.58 percent, Indonesia with 25.16 percent, and Vietnam with 20.82 percent, the MOI said.

Statistics now show that Indonesia is in top position with 41.21 percent of all the foreign workers in Taiwan, followed by Vietnam (22.47 percent), the Philippines (19.46 percent) and Thailand (16.86 percent), the ministry said.

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