Taiwan
Leading cause: Cancer · 79% plant-based · 80.9 yr life expectancy · UHC 85/100
What People Eat
Taiwan Vegetarian study: Buddhist vegetarians show 40% lower cancer mortality and significantly reduced CVD vs. non-vegetarians.
Disease Burden
Leading cause of death: Cancer · 135 / 100k
Bars show each rate against the global range; the tick marks the world median.
Taiwan combines low heart disease (42/100k) with cancer (135/100k) leading mortality. A landmark Taiwanese study found Buddhist vegetarians had 40% lower cancer mortality and substantially lower CVD than non-vegetarians, strong evidence from within the country for its plant-forward tradition.
Healthcare System
Sources: WHO UHC Service Coverage Index (SDG 3.8.1) & WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. Latest available year.
What Could Improve
- Lean into the vegetarian pattern shown to cut cancer mortality 40% within Taiwan itself.
- Reduce processed foods and added sugar accompanying westernization.
- Sustain the efficient single-payer system's focus on prevention.
Explore the evidence: Cancer
Taiwan Vegetarian Study · Chiu et al., 2015
→ 40% lower cancer mortality in vegetarians