Taiwan’s 10% GDP Growth Bypasses Most Households as Chip Boom Deepens 66.9x Wealth Gap
Updated
Updated · 코리아타임스 · Aug 15
Taiwan’s 10% GDP Growth Bypasses Most Households as Chip Boom Deepens 66.9x Wealth Gap
1 articles · Updated · 코리아타임스 · Aug 15
Summary
10%-plus growth forecasts for 2026 have failed to reach many Taiwanese, who told reporters the semiconductor-led boom exists mainly in headlines while wages and living standards stagnate outside a few tech sectors.
14.5% first-quarter GDP growth and AI-driven chip demand lifted headline numbers, but 69.95% of workers still earned less than the NT$48,706 average monthly wage, with the median at just NT$39,220.
TSMC helped skew pay data after approving NT$206.14 billion in 2025 bonuses and profit-sharing, while average monthly wages were NT$57,710 in electronic components manufacturing versus NT$34,524 in accommodation and food services.
Housing has amplified the divide: the top 20% of households held 66.9 times the wealth of the bottom 20%, and Taipei’s house price-to-income ratio reached 14.62, pushing residents into rooftop units, shared housing or farther suburbs.
Taiwan’s export engine remains narrowly concentrated, with electronics and ICT products making up about 74% of 2025 exports, raising concerns that a chip-heavy economy is widening social gaps and weakening other industries’ ability to hire and invest.