The Indigenous World 2026: Taiwan
The officially recognized Indigenous population of Taiwan numbered 629,456 people, or 2.7% of the total population, at the end of 2025, according to the data released by the Ministry of Interior. [1]
Sixteen distinct Indigenous Peoples are officially recognized: these peoples enjoy representation at all levels of government, from parliament to central government's Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) and municipal governments, city and county councillors, and local district and township representatives.
Eleven lowland Indigenous Peoples’ groups (Pingpu) are not recognized as Indigenous by the government and hence not extended the same rights as the recognized groups. They are thus also excluded from CIP policies and programmes. The eleven unrecognized peoples are: Babuza, Arikun, Lloa, Kaxabu, Ketagalan, Makatao, Papora, Pazeh, Siraya, Taokas and Taivoan.
In a step towards their recognition as Indigenous Peoples, in October 2025 the Taiwan Parliament approved the Pingpu Indigenous Peoples Status Act (平埔原住民族群身分法). The Act establishes a three-year interim period during which each of the eleven groups will undergo an expert-led, group-by-group evaluation to determine their eligibility for official Indigenous status.
Until their applications are approved, they are not considered Indigenous Peoples under the law.
Most of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples originally lived in the central mountains, on the east coast and in the south. However, nowadays over half of the Indigenous population lives in the urban areas of the country.
The main challenges facing Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan are their rapidly disappearing cultures and languages, encroachment onto their traditional domain, the denial of their rights and the exclusion of the lowland (Pingpu) Indigenous Peoples.
The CIP is the state agency responsible for Indigenous Peoples. Taiwan has adopted a number of laws designed to protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, including the Constitutional Amendments on Indigenous representation in the Legislative Assembly, protection of language and culture and political participation (2000); the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law (2005); the Education Act for Indigenous Peoples (2004); the Status Act for Indigenous Peoples (2001); the Regulations regarding Recognition of Indigenous Peoples (2002); the Name Act (2003); and the Indigenous Languages Development Act (2017). Unfortunately, serious discrepancies and contradictions in the legislation, coupled with only partial implementation of these laws, has stymied progress towards the self-governance of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples.
Since Taiwan is not a member of the UN it is not a party to UN human rights instruments.
This article is part of the 40th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here
Passage of Pingpu Status Act: historic milestone
On 17 October, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan passed the Pingpu Indigenous Peoples Status Act, [2] the first law in the nation’s history dedicated solely to the recognition of Pingpu Indigenous groups. The Act establishes mechanisms for group recognition, registration, cultural rights, and government responsibilities, marking a major legislative response to Judgement No. 17 (2022) passed down by Taiwan Constitutional Court,[3] which affirmed that Pingpu Indigenous peoples fall within the Constitutional definition of “Indigenous Peoples”.
For decades, Pingpu Indigenous groups have campaigned for official recognition, arguing that despite assimilation forces and marginalization by government bureaucracies, they have maintained cultural continuity, community traditions, and each group's collective identity, as recorded in historic documents. The new law signals the government’s acknowledgement of the existence of these distinct Pingpu groups.[4]
The Act’s implications are profound. It creates a new legal pathway to gain legal status for Pingpu groups, thus recognizing their cultural, linguistic, and political rights. Furthermore, the law requires the government to introduce supplementary legislation within three years to strengthen protection for Pingpu groups, on rights to political participation, land and natural resources, as well as cultural revitalization.[5]
For many activists, the law represents not only group recognition but the beginning of “restorative justice” for peoples whose identities were suppressed under past colonialism and post-war state structures. Yet debates remain—particularly over whether the new system may inadvertently cause divisions between Mountain and Plains Indigenous Peoples (for more on the divisions between Mountain and Pingpu groups, see The Indigenous World 2023). Nonetheless, 2025 will be remembered by the Pingpu status restoration movement as a year when, after their long decades of struggle, they were legally recognized as Indigenous Peoples.
Typhoon Danas affects Indigenous communities
Typhoon Danas struck Taiwan with intense and prolonged rainfall in July, leaving two dead and over 300 people injured. While most regions of Taiwan experienced flooding, the Siraya Indigenous communities, as well as other east-coast Indigenous groups, suffered property damage and severe environmental devastation. Mountain slopes collapsed, rivers overflowed, and several Siraya settlements faced road blockages, and disrupted electricity and water supplies, resulting in them being cut off from the rest of the country for days.[6]
The Siraya communities—historically pushed into lowland basins, river terraces, and marginal agricultural areas as a result of land dispossession and government relocation policies—remain highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. The impact of Danas reignited discussions on climate justice, as Indigenous groups continue to face the heaviest exposure to natural disasters, despite their contributing the least to climate change.[7]
The Council of Indigenous Peoples and Tainan city authorities established emergency shelters, temporary water access, and relief supply stations. However, the typhoon also exposed major gaps in early‑warning systems and the provision of emergency services in rural areas with majority populations belonging to Plains Indigenous Peoples. This included slow restoration of roads and water systems, and limited support for Indigenous‑led disaster planning.
The Fata’an Barrier Lake overflow
On 23 September, the Fata’an landslide disaster lake took place. It became one of the year’s most severe natural hazards affecting Indigenous regions.
Intense rainfall triggered a massive landslide above Hualien’s Fata’an area—home to the Amis Fata’an community—blocking the upper Matai'an Creek to form a rapidly rising barrier lake.[8] Two days later, the barrier lake overflowed and partially collapsed, unleashing a destructive surge of mud and water.
The outflow devastated bridges, farmland, and key access routes, isolating communities across the region. The disaster caused 19 deaths, injured hundreds more, and prompted large-scale evacuation and rescue operations. Emergency teams ultimately rescued over 700 people, many from valleys and upland settlements cut off from the rest of the country by the disaster.[9]
Months later, the instability of the landslide-dammed lake still continues to affect the Fata’an community’s safety, livelihoods, with worrying damage to farmland and crops, and little access to transportation. Water outflow, sediment movement, and the risk of secondary collapse remain a concern, prompting repeated emergency inspections and temporary precautionary measures.[10]
To mitigate the impact of the disaster, in October the Taiwan Legislature fast-tracked a Special Act for Post-Disaster Reconstruction of the Matai'an Disaster, aiming to support affected residents through relief funds, infrastructure rebuilding, and long-term environment protection measures. [11]
The Passing of Pan Ta-Ho: leader of the Pazeh Movement
On 05 July 2025, Taiwan mourned the passing of Pan Ta-Ho, widely respected as a key figure
in the modern Plains Indigenous Rights movement.[12] He was born and raised in Taba community, Luyutan Village in central Taiwan where, during his youth in the 1940s and 1950s, Pazeh families were in the majority, adults and elders still spoke the Pazeh language and retained their cultural traditions. In the 1960s, he began to document the Pazeh language, culture, old stories and historic accounts by elders.
Trained as an engineer at Taiwan's top technical college, Pan worked as a section head at the National Taiwan University Hospital. In the 1970s, he moved to Canada and was later employed at the headquarters of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. During those years, he attended UN WGIP and other major IP and human rights conferences in Europe.[13]
After his retirement in the 1990s, Pan returned to Taiwan to devote his life to the Pingpu Indigenous Rights movement and cultural revitalization of the Pazeh people, demanding the Taiwan government recognize Pazeh and other Pingpu groups, have official status, and are included as Taiwan's Indigenous Peoples. He founded Pingpu national organizations, established language programmes, undertook research and wrote books, and played an instrumental role in shaping the discourse on Pingpu peoples fighting for justice, and restoration of their IP status.[14]
Pan’s passing just months before landmark legislation added symbolic weight to the year’s events. Many described him as a “Bridge between the Eras”, whose decades of work had enabled the political progress that was now becoming reality. Tributes from across society and the Indigenous communities highlighted his leadership, intellectual contributions, including 16 books he authored and edited, and commitment to historical justice.
WIBN 2025 Forum: connecting with the global Indigenous media community
In August, Taiwan hosted the World Indigenous Broadcasters Network (WIBN) Forum. For the first time in the event’s 15-year history, this took place in Taiwan. Representatives of Indigenous media organizations from across Oceania, North America, Scandinavia, and Asia gathered to discuss media sovereignty, digital storytelling, language revitalization, and cross-regional collaboration.[15]
Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) and the Council of Indigenous Peoples co-organized the forum, which featured keynote sessions emphasizing the role of Indigenous broadcasters in preserving cultural memory and resisting disinformation. Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim delivered the opening welcome in the Amis language, signalling Taiwan’s commitment to Indigenous cultural visibility on the global stage.[16]
For the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan, WIBN 2025 served multiple purposes, strengthening ties with global Indigenous media networks and focusing on Indigenous broadcasters and journalists. It emphasized the need for Indigenous control over the narrative concerning themselves, and news representation in an era dominated by global media platforms. [17]
The forum concluded with commitments to cooperate on the production of documentaries, cross-border journalist exchanges, and digital archiving projects.
Jason Pan Adawai, is a journalist and deputy director of TARA-Pingpu organization,
and former Executive Council member of AIPP (Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact).
Jason is an Indigenous Pazeh (Plains Pingpu group) from Liyutan Village, Miaoli County, Taiwan.
Aidu Mali, Indigenous Papora, Hazoban Community. Director of International Affairs,
Papora Indigenous Development Association.
Kaisanan Ahuan, Chief Executive Officer of Central Taiwan Pingpu Indigenous Groups Youth Alliance. Kaisanan is an Indigenous Taokas (Plains Pingpu groups) from Waraoral Village, Nantou County in central Taiwan.
This article is part of the 40th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here
Notes and references
[1] Council of Indigenous Peoples website info, 21 January 2026.
https://www.cip.gov.tw/zh-tw/news/data-list/812FFAB0BCD92D1A/8460768000536E29A4B571F18AE92066-info.html
[2] Lin Che-yuan, Yang Mien-chieh and Jake Chung. “Pingpu indigenous people’s act passed by the Legislature.” Taipei Times, 18 October 2025.
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/10/18/2003845682
[3] Judgement No. 17 (2022), "Case on the Indigenous Peoples Status for the Siraya People",
Constitutional Court of Taiwan, 28 October 2022.
https://cons.judicial.gov.tw/en/docdata.aspx?fid=5534&id=352241
[4] “Third Reading Passed Implementing Constitutional Rulings”, Council of Indigenous Peoples Press Release, 17 October 2025. https://www.cip.gov.tw/zh-tw/news/data-list/E93DA6B5E2130657/BBCA8031385D9C9BA7E151774350276E-info.html
[5] Jin Dajun. “Pingpu Status Act Ensures Identity and Cultural Rights.” Newtalk News, 17 October 2025. https://newtalk.tw/news/view/2025-10-17/999498
[6] “Two dead, over 300 injured as storm Danas sweeps Taiwan.” Central News Agency, 7 July 2025. https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202507070008
[7] Tainan Dongshan. “Post-Danas Reconstruction Needs in Siraya Communities: Tainan Indigenous Affairs Council Visits Affected Families.” Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation News, 11 July 2025. https://news.ipcf.org.tw/173358
[8] “The 64 Critical Days, Fata’an Landslide-Dammed Lake Disaster.”
CommonWealth Magazine, 16 October 2025. https://www.cw.com.tw/graphics/hualien-mataian-barrier-lake-2025/
[9] Lin Yuyou, Yu Wanqi, Sun Wenlin, Xu Shikai and Yan Wenting. “Reconstructing the Collapse, Lessons to learn from the disaster.” The Reporter, 26 September 2025. https://www.twreporter.org/a/mataian-creek-barrier-lake
[10] Guo Zhirong. “Matai’an River Overflows Again, Residents Still Uneasy.”
Our Island (PTS), 16 November 2025.
https://ourisland.pts.org.tw/content/11719
[11] Lin Hsin-han. "Legislature approves Special Act for Matai'an Post-Disaster Reconstruction,
on NT$30 billion funding." Liberty Times Newspaper, 31 October 2025.
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/5229769
[12] “Announcement of the Passing of Pan Ta-ho.” Central Taiwan Ping-Pu Indigenous Youth Alliance (Facebook), 5 July 2025. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B4udPu8VT/
[13] "In Memory of Pan Ta-ho, Elder of the Pazeh at Lai-sia." October 2025,
No. 125 Indigenous Education World, Bi-Monthly Journal of National Chengchi University.
https://d17u3w3ts5ihmp.cloudfront.net/storage/app/public/files/5568.pdf
[14] Booklet in Memory of Stephen Ta-Ho Pan, Pazeh Elder of Lai-Sia Village,
Book Publication by Taiwan Pingpu Indigenous Peoples Association,
November 2025, Nanyang Printing Press, Taipei, Taiwan.
[15] “WIBN Annual Forum Returns to Taiwan.” Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation Press Release, 16 August 2025.
https://news.ipcf.org.tw/177751
[16] “Taiwan Hosts WIBN Again, Strengthening Global Indigenous Media.”
CIP / National Council for Sustainable Development, 14 August 2025.
https://www.cip.gov.tw/zh-tw/news/data-list/35AE118732EB6BAF/0A99F372A0640CAE74AE5F2BFECE0BC1-info.html
[17] “Vice President Hsiao Addresses Opening Dinner.” Office of the President, 14 August 2025.
https://www.president.gov.tw/News/39388
Tags: Global governance
