Taiwan: Economic growth accelerates in the fourth quarter of 2025
GDP reading: Taiwan’s GDP expanded 12.7% in annual terms in Q4, following 8.2% growth in the prior quarter. Q4’s reading was well above market expectations and was the fastest since the 1980s. On a seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP increased 5.5% in Q4, following a 1.7% expansion in the prior quarter.
Boom is still narrowly driven: Compared with the previous quarter’s data, readings in Q4 improved for private consumption (+3.4% on a year-on-year basis vs +1.2% in Q3), government consumption (+1.8% vs +0.3% in Q3) and exports of goods and services (+38.8% vs +31.9% in Q3). In contrast, the reading for imports of goods and services worsened in Q4 (+24.6% vs +26.1% in Q3), as did the figure for gross investment (-3.8% vs +0.2% in Q3).
As such, Taiwan’s economic surge remained on narrow footing, with soaring electronics exports the key driver. That said, accelerations in private and public spending suggest a slight broadening-out of growth, with private consumption rising at the fastest pace since Q2 2024.
Panelist insight: United Overseas Bank’s Ho Woei Chen said:
“The sustained strength in export demand suggests that Taiwan’s economy could continue to outperform this year. Latest data showed Taiwan’s export orders rising by 43.8% y/y in Dec – fastest pace in nearly five years despite the increasingly high base. This was driven by strong global demand for Taiwan’s information & communication products and electronics exports, which accounted for almost 3/4 of its export orders. Taiwan’s trade deal with the US in Jan which lowers reciprocal tariffs on Taiwan goods to 15% from 20% in return for Taiwanese investments in the US, has helped ease policy uncertainty and placed Taiwan on a level competitive footing with Japan, South Korea, and the European Union.”