How Much Monthly Income Is Considered High? Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Releases Latest Average Salary Data! Instantly Check How You Compare

Are your earnings above average? The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) has just released the latest wage statistics for the first half of this year (January to June). The average monthly regular wage for all employees reached NT$48,981, marking a 2.88% year-on-year increase and setting another record high. However, behind these seemingly positive figures, a striking reality emerges: as many as 70.03% of employees earn less than this 'average' amount. DGBAS has identified two key factors behind this disparity.

Why do over 70% of workers earn below the average wage? DGBAS points to 'two specific groups' as major contributors. The proportion of employees earning below the average regular wage has risen to 70.03%. According to Tan Wen-Ling, Deputy Director of the Census Division at DGBAS, in addition to the upward pull from extremely high earners, the rapid increase in the number of 'foreign industrial workers' and 'part-time employees (workers in temporary or side jobs)' in recent years has significantly contributed to data skewing and widening income gaps. However, when these two groups are excluded and only 'full-time, native employees' are considered, the average regular wage for the first half of the year rises to NT$51,888.

Notably, among full-time native employees, the proportion earning below the average has shown a slight year-on-year decline over the past three years:

2024 H1: 70.93% 2025 H1: 70.49% 2026 H1: 70.30%

This data suggests that income distribution imbalance among Taiwan's core workforce is not as severe as the overall figures might imply.

Wage growth outpaces inflation: Real average regular wage reaches NT$44,000

In addition to nominal wages, the 'real average regular wage'—adjusted for inflation—reached NT$44,119 in the first half of the year, a 1.16% year-on-year increase, the best performance in six years for the same period. Cumulative 'real total wages' grew by 1.75%, the highest in nine years, indicating that wage growth is gradually exceeding inflation. Meanwhile, the 'wage median,' which better reflects the actual income level of typical employees, stood at NT$39,283 for regular wages in the first half of the year, with a real growth rate of 1.26% after adjusting for inflation.

Executive Yuan Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Salary Information Platform

Editor: Lin Li