Taiwanese men earned 1.54 times that of women in 2024: MOF

Taipei, July 30 (CNA) The average annual income of Taiwanese men was NT$754,172 (US$23,245) in 2024, 1.54 times that of women at NT$489,894, marking the smallest gender income gap since 2016, according to a Ministry of Finance (MOF) report released Wednesday.

By income source, the largest disparity was in income from professional practice, with men earning an average of NT$240,689 annually, 1.83 times the NT$131,237 earned by women.

For salaries and wages, men earned an average of NT$839,609 a year, compared with NT$604,101 for women, or 1.39 times as much, the report showed.

The only income category in which women out-earned men was separation pay. Women received an average of NT$682,035 annually, compared with NT$581,245 for men, according to the data.

The male-to-female income ratio was first recorded at 1.57 in 2016. It gradually declined to 1.55 in 2020 before rising to a peak of 1.60 in 2022. The ratio then fell to 1.58 in 2023 and 1.54 in 2024, the report said.

Separately, the report showed that Taiwan had 2,824 profit-seeking enterprises with capital exceeding NT$1 billion. Men served as the responsible person, legal representative or manager at 2,381 of those companies, accounting for 84.3 percent, while women held those positions at 443 companies, or 15.7 percent -- the highest share since records began, the data showed.