The population of the ROC on Taiwan numbered over 21.5 million as of June 1997. Taipei City is the most crowded urban area in Taiwan, with 9,586 people per sq km, and is followed by Kaohsiung City, with 9,333 people per sq km. The population density of Taiwan is 598 people per sq km.

Mandarin is the official language. Southern Fukien and Hakka are the most widely spoken dialects. In restaurants and shops people can speak some English and hotel staff are quite fluent in English and Japanese.

Traditionally, Chinese worship both Buddhist and Taoist deities as well as their family's ancestral spirits. There are 4.8 million Buddhists in Taiwan, followed by Taoists, Protestants and Catholics.