Are Taiwanese Households Wealthier? Average Disposable Income Reaches NT$1.21 Million per Household in 2025; DGBAS Analyzes Causes Behind Widening Income Gap

The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) today (14th) released the 2025 household income survey results. The average disposable income per household across all households reached NT$1.21 million, an increase of 3.9% compared to 2024. Per capita average disposable income reached NT$450,000, rising 7.4% year-on-year. When measured by median, household disposable income stood at NT$1.018 million, increasing 3.4% annually.

However, income growth does not necessarily mean a narrowing of disparities between households. In 2025, the gap in disposable income between the top 20% and bottom 20% of households was 6.17 times, slightly wider than in 2024. If further including government-provided in-kind benefits such as long-term care, childcare subsidies, housing rent assistance, and elderly transportation subsidies, the gap narrows further to 5.74 times—indicating that government transfer measures continue to influence income distribution.

Average household disposable income: NT$1.21 million; median: NT$1.018 million

According to DGBAS, total household income in 2025 averaged NT$1.529 million per household, up 3.3% from 2024. Average household disposable income was NT$1.21 million, rising 3.9% year-on-year.

From a per capita perspective, average per capita disposable income was NT$450,000, up 7.4% from 2024.

However, averages can be skewed by high-income households, so medians provide a better reflection of middle-income households’ situations. In 2025, the median household disposable income was NT$1.018 million, up 3.4% annually; the median per capita disposable income was NT$367,000, up 3.2%.

Given that both average and median values increased, household income overall continued to rise in 2025.

Income gap slightly widens; government transfers reduce it by 1.33 times

In terms of income distribution, before accounting for government transfers to households, the income quintile ratio in 2025 was 7.49 times, an increase of 0.11 times from 2024.

Among these, the top 20% of households had an average disposable income of NT$2.449 million, up 3.9% year-on-year; the bottom 20% earned NT$397,000, up 3.5%, resulting in a gap of 6.17 times—an increase of 0.03 times from 2024. The Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, was 0.341, similar to 2024.

DGBAS noted that various government subsidies—including low-income household living allowances, subsistence allowances for middle- and low-income seniors, old farmer pensions, childcare subsidies, and social insurance premium subsidies—reduced income disparity by 1.18 times. Household payments to the government reduced the gap by another 0.15 times.

Combined, these transfer flows between households and government reduced the income gap by 1.33 times, bringing it down from 7.49 times to 6.17 times.

Source: DGBAS

When calculated per person, income gap drops to 3.73 times

DGBAS explained that calculating income gaps per household may be affected by changes in household size. Recalculating after reordering by per capita disposable income yields different results. In 2025, the per capita disposable income gap was 3.73 times, a decrease of 0.18 times from 2024.

That is, while the gap between highest and lowest-income households slightly widened when measured per household, it actually narrowed when measured per person. Therefore, when observing income distribution, one must consider not only household income levels but also household demographic structures.

Source: DGBAS

Household spending up 3.6%, savings grow 4.9%

Alongside rising household income, both consumption and savings increased.

In 2025, average household consumption expenditure across all households was NT$920,000, up 3.6% from 2024. Average household savings amounted to NT$290,000, growing 4.9% annually—outpacing consumption growth.

In terms of consumption structure, housing services, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels accounted for 24.1% of household spending—the largest share. Food, beverages, and tobacco accounted for 15.4%, followed by healthcare expenditures at 14.1%.

DGBAS pointed out that as life expectancy increases and health awareness strengthens, healthcare spending now accounts for 14.1% of household consumption.

Government in-kind benefits totaled NT$302.7 billion, further reducing income gap by 0.43 times

In addition to cash subsidies and tax transfers, DGBAS also incorporated the impact of government “in-kind benefits” on income distribution.

In-kind benefits include subsidies related to long-term care programs, public and quasi-public childcare subsidies, housing rental subsidies, and elderly transportation subsidies. DGBAS used tax data to identify beneficiary households’ income quintile groups and estimated the redistributive effects of these welfare measures.

In 2025, total government in-kind benefits reached NT$302.7 billion, averaging NT$31,000 per household. The lowest-income group received an average of NT$35,000 per household, while the highest-income group received NT$29,000.

Including in-kind benefits in calculations, the pre-existing 6.17-fold disposable income gap further narrowed to 5.74 times—a reduction of 0.43 times, improving by 0.01 times compared to 2024.

This indicates that government-provided social welfare and subsidies not only directly support households but also further influence overall income distribution outcomes.

Homeownership rate at 83.9%, digital devices highly prevalent

Regarding household lifestyles, digital device ownership and internet usage rates among Taiwanese households remained high in 2025. Mobile phone penetration reached 98.0%, cable TV equipment penetration was 80.4%, and computer penetration was 68.1%. Approximately 99% of households already use the internet.

In housing, the homeownership rate in 2025 was 83.9%. When including homes owned by spouses, parents, or children—even if not cohabiting—the combined rate reached 89.6%.