A growing obesity crisis threatens Taiwan’s long-term health and productivity. With more than half of adults overweight or obese, experts are calling for urgent, systemic change – starting with the youngest generation.
Taiwan is a prosperous nation with abundant food resources, yet affluence brings its own challenges. Decades of economic and technological advancement have raised living standards and improved financial security, granting broader access to a wide variety of foods. However, this ease of access has also contributed to rising health concerns as overconsumption and dietary imbalances become increasingly prevalent.
Like other highly developed countries, including the United States, Australia, and France, Taiwan is grappling with an increasingly sedentary population. Convenience often takes precedence over physical activity, a trend epitomized by Taiwan’s distinction as the country with the highest number of convenience stores per capita in the world.
According to newly released findings from the Taiwan Medical Association for the Study of Obesity, more than 10 million adults – 50.3% of the population aged 18 and older – are classified as overweight or obese, says the association’s Chair, Lin Wen-yuan. The classifications are based on body mass index (BMI), with a BMI of 24 to 26.9 considered overweight and 27 or higher classified as obesity.
However, “while BMI is a useful screening tool, the core issue in obesity is actually adiposity – the excessive or abnormal accumulation of fat tissue that presents a risk to health,” says Dr. Chuang Hai-hua, director of the Department of Community Medicine at Cathay General Hospital. “In Taiwan, this is particularly concerning because many individuals, especially women, may appear slim by BMI standards but still have unhealthy levels of body fat. We call this ‘hidden obesity.’”
Data from Taiwan’s national health surveys reflect this growing concern. Between 1993 and 2020, the percentage of men with excessive body fat – defined as body fat percentage over 25% – more than tripled, reaching over 80%. For women, the prevalence of high adiposity is even more alarming, with nearly 92% exceeding the healthy fat percentage threshold of 30%. This means that a majority of the population now carries excess fat, regardless of whether their weight falls within a “normal” BMI range.
Dr. Chuang emphasizes that Taiwan’s obesity problem is not merely a matter of individual choices but is deeply rooted in systemic issues. “The rise in obesity has paralleled shifts in work culture, stress levels, dietary habits, and physical inactivity,” she says. “People are working longer hours, under more pressure, and often skip meals during the day only to overeat late at night. Combine that with limited time for consistent exercise and a reliance on convenience foods, and you have the perfect environment for a national health crisis.”
The leading causes of death in Taiwan reveal a troubling link between obesity and major health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. As Taiwan moves rapidly toward becoming a super-aged society, addressing the obesity epidemic has become an increasingly urgent public health priority.
According to the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), one in three schoolchildren in Taiwan is classified as overweight or obese. “Parents often believe that childhood chubbiness does not necessarily lead to obesity in adulthood, but current research overwhelmingly refutes this notion,” said Dr. Huang Szu-wei, a pediatrician at Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital.
Dr. Huang highlights the long-term consequences of adolescent obesity, noting that roughly 70% of teenagers who are overweight continue to carry excess weight into adulthood. Moreover, obesity significantly increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes at a younger age, setting the stage for serious health complications later in life, he says.
The solution, while straightforward, remains frustratingly elusive in a fast-paced society: regular exercise, a balanced diet, and at least seven hours of sleep per night.
Taiwan’s decision to ban smartphones in schools – set to take effect in late August 2025, aligning with the new academic year – marks a step toward curbing sedentary behavior among students. Similar measures introduced in Australia in 2023 have been linked to increased face-to-face social interactions, greater alertness, and more physical activity. While this policy is likely to benefit students’ overall wellbeing, it also raises a broader question: how effectively does Taiwan’s education system instill a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle?
Starting from childhood
“If the government wants to do something effective, the most impactful intervention should start with children and adolescents,” says Dr. Chuang. “Eating behaviors and food preferences develop very early in life, and how we cope with stress is shaped during adolescence. If our children are already disinterested in exercise or form poor dietary habits, it’s unlikely they will grow into healthy adults.”
To this end, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) has adopted a multipronged strategy to address immediate health concerns while fostering long-term wellbeing habits. As part of Taiwan’s 12-Year Basic Education Curriculum, schools are required to incorporate health and physical education courses covering nutrition, mental health, disease prevention, and drug abuse awareness. Regular student health checkups are mandatory, with follow-up counseling and referrals when needed. To support these efforts, the MOE provides professional development programs for teachers and funds health promotion activities at the local level.
Additionally, the MOE enforces regulations to improve students’ dietary habits and physical activity. Nutritional standards govern school lunches, while the sale of sugary drinks and snacks is restricted on campus. In collaboration with the MOHW, the MOE has advanced the Health Promoting Schools initiative, which integrates topics such as healthy weight management and oral health. These coordinated efforts have shown tangible results, contributing to declining rates of dental cavities and poor vision among schoolchildren.
For its part, the HPA has actively advanced the health-promoting schools initiative, an international health policy promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), which takes a comprehensive approach to health education. Rather than treating health as a standalone subject, the initiative integrates it into all aspects of school life, emphasizing policy development, leadership, and the overall wellbeing of both students and staff.
Collaboration is key to reinforcing health values and ensuring that students see wellness initiatives as long-term lifestyle changes. Effective cooperation between school staff and parents plays a crucial role in fostering healthier habits among students.
This education is particularly important since behavioral changes take time to solidify. HPA official Chen Li-chuan notes that during summer vacations, students’ sedentary time increases by about 5%, with screen time exceeding two hours per day – an increase of approximately 6%. Chen urges parents to encourage their children to eat more fruit and vegetables and to prioritize physical activity. She emphasizes the WHO’s recommendation that children and teenagers engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to high-intensity exercise daily.
To help citizens lead healthier lives, the Taiwan government has introduced multiple campaigns on TV, radio, social media, and public spaces to promote healthy eating, reduce alcohol and tobacco consumption, and encourage an active lifestyle.
Food labeling laws have been strengthened to help consumers make more informed dietary choices. Nutritional information and calorie counts are now displayed in some chain restaurants and convenience stores, providing greater transparency. Over the past year, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration has also taken steps to amend food additive regulations, adjust pesticide residue limits, and impose stricter penalties for misleading food advertising, reinforcing the government’s commitment to public health and consumer protection.
This latter amendment covers “food labeling, promotion, and advertisements with false, exaggerated, or misleading contents.” Further, it states that “foods that are labeled, promoted, or advertised as having medical efficacy will be fined between NT$600,000 and NT$5 million.”
To curb smoking and alcohol consumption – both linked to obesity and unhealthy behaviors – the government has increased taxes on tobacco and alcohol while implementing anti-smoking campaigns and tightening advertising restrictions. However, these measures have yielded only modest results. According to HPA data, the percentage of Taiwanese men who smoked declined slightly from 23.4% in 2018 to 23.1% in 2020. Meanwhile, the rate of female smokers increased from 2.4% to 2.9% over the same period, highlighting the persistent challenges in reducing tobacco use.
Alcohol consumption in Taiwan carries a significant toll on both public health and healthcare costs. Professor Wang Cheng-yi of National Taiwan University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering notes that alcohol is linked to more than 200 diseases, including cirrhosis, liver cancer, stomach cancer, and bowel cancer. The financial burden is substantial: alcohol-related diseases cost the National Health Insurance system NT$5.3 billion annually, while the total cost of all alcohol-related health issues reaches NT$53 billion, according to National Health Insurance Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Lian-yu.
“Starting drinking earlier in life is linked to increased risks of developing alcohol-related health problems later,” says Dr. Wang. As a result, medical experts in Taiwan have recommended raising the legal drinking age to 21.
A cultural shift
While these are positive moves in promoting community health, change comes through individual motivation. The government’s efforts to increase health awareness, promote the benefits of good health, and emphasize the dangers of common behaviors like overconsumption and inactivity are designed to shift Taiwan to a healthier life trajectory.
For many Taiwanese, regular exercise has yet to reach the cultural prominence it holds in countries like the United States, Australia, Canada, and France. While Taiwan offers an extensive network of public fitness programs – including free exercise classes in urban parks, sports facilities, swimming pools, and multi-use venues – getting people to take advantage of these resources remains a challenge.
Complementing its investment in fitness infrastructure, the Taiwanese government has introduced a range of initiatives to encourage physical activity. These efforts include ongoing community programs, policy reforms, and educational campaigns aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles. By integrating exercise into daily routines and raising public awareness of its benefits, officials hope to shift cultural attitudes toward physical activity and improve overall public health.
The newly created Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee was established to enhance public health, focusing on obesity management, chronic health disease prevention, and physical activity promotion. “The best strategies to care for citizens’ health are to increase physical activity, boost food literacy, and improve the domestic food environment, preventing chronic diseases from the front end,” said President Lai Ching-te during the committee’s inaugural meeting earlier this year.
While much of the focus around inactivity centers on obesity, the impact is far-reaching. People who don’t see themselves at risk for weight-related conditions may still be vulnerable to other lifestyle-linked concerns.
One of Taiwan’s most pressing health challenges – particularly among its youth – is also one of the most preventable. Myopia, or near-sightedness, affects up to 90% of Taiwanese people in their early 20s and younger. The primary culprit is excessive “near work,” including prolonged reading, studying, and screen time. As rates of myopia continue to rise, addressing this issue requires a concerted effort to promote better visual habits, encourage outdoor activities, and implement preventive measures from an early age. In 2010, Taiwan introduced the “Tian-Tian 120” policy, which encourages children to spend at least two hours outdoors daily to combat rising myopia rates.
“It was very simple – the problem was that myopia has both protective and risk factors, but we had only been focusing on the risk factor,” says Dr. Wu Pei-chang, a leading researcher in the field and director of the Myopia Prevention and Control Center at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
Taiwan’s myopia rates remain high, but efforts over the past decade have yielded some success. The rate of myopia among elementary school students has shown a continuous decline since the 2011 academic year, according to the MOE.
Being an island nation, Taiwan has the opportunity to readily embrace swimming, along with an array of ocean-based activities. But due to a culturally entrenched fear of the water, swimming has never become as popular as in other high-earning countries.
Despite this historical hurdle, Taiwan has pushed ahead with swimming lessons for school-aged children. A study conducted between 2018 and 2019 surveying 17,105 Taiwanese college students found that nearly 86% had learned to swim at some point. About 70% could swim at least 25 meters and had basic self-rescue skills.
In 2018, a group of dedicated educators in Kenting launched the Swim Against Fear campaign to address swimming proficiency by promoting water safety education and ocean confidence. The initiative focuses on dismantling cultural fears of the sea through structured swimming training and survival skills programs, particularly targeting schoolchildren and communities with limited access to swimming education.
While investments in youth will pay dividends, ensuring the wellbeing of older generations demands additional strategies. Taiwan is officially classified as a super-aged society this year, meaning that more than 20% of the population is 65 or older. Taiwan’s National Development Council projects that by 2060, the proportion of people over 65 will reach 41.4%.
This shifting demographic has prompted the government to develop fitness programs for older adults. To encourage a continued active lifestyle, the HPA plans to set up 288 fitness clubs equipped with age-appropriate machines and classes by the end of this year.
The private fitness sector is also increasingly offering specialized instructors who tailor exercise programs to the needs of older individuals. In addition, some of Taiwan’s largest gym chains will soon offer access to advanced health diagnostic tools in their facilities, aiding the creation of personalized workouts while boosting health awareness without a visit to the doctor.
A multipronged national approach is the only way to tackle such a wide variety of health issues and to break citizens’ sedentary habits. Lifestyle changes improve not just personal wellbeing but the long-term health of the nation.
