After overcoming the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan perseveres to move forward with steady strides. Even though the post-pandemic era is still filled with challenges, thanks to the resilience and efforts of our nationals both at home and abroad, Taiwan prevails to shine and remain at the forefront of the international stage. As we bid farewell to 2023 and step into 2024, the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) has updated various international rankings related to Taiwan, sharing our collective efforts and outstanding achievements with nationals and compatriots both overseas and in Taiwan.
In economic development, Taiwan's achievements in global rankings persist to deliver. According to the Credit Suisse Research Institute Global Wealth Report 2023, Taiwan ranks 15th in terms of mean wealth and 12th in median wealth. In addition, the Allianz Group's Allianz Global Wealth Report 2023 places Taiwan 5th globally in per capita financial assets net worth. Furthermore, our economic development rankings also include The Heritage Foundation's 2023 Index of Economic Freedom, which rated Taiwan as 4th in the world and 2nd in Asia.
In terms of social security, Taiwan continues to earn accolades in global rankings. According to Numbeo's recent release of the Safety Index by City 2023 Mid-Year, Taipei secured 3rd place out of 195 cities worldwide, moving up one rank from earlier in the year. The same database website also maintains Taiwan's strong performance, ranking it 3rd globally in Safety Index by Country 2023 Mid-Year. Our social security rankings also include an earlier compilation by RankingRoyals, which placed Taipei as 4th in Safest Cities in the World 2023, highlighting Taipei's low crime rates, convenient and secure public transportation system, and friendly population as key factors for its high score.
On the topic of civil liberties, Taiwan remains to perform well in various global rankings. According to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index 2023, Taiwan ranks 35th globally, an improvement of 3 ranks from the previous year. The Freedom House's updated Freedom on the Net 2023 positions Taiwan as 6th globally and 1st in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, our civil liberties rankings include the Freedom House report Freedom in the World 2023 released earlier this year, which awarded Taiwan a high score of 94, retaining its position as the second-most free nation in Asia. The CIVICUS Monitor's People Power Under Attack 2022 report rates each country's civic space condition along five categories: open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed, and closed. Taiwan is rated as "open" for the fourth consecutive year, making it the only Asian country to achieve this status.
In terms of overall development, recent reports and rankings reflect positively on Taiwan. According to Pew Research Center's report, in terms of Asian Americans' views of Asian countries, Taiwan is rated third favorable. The International Institute for Management Development's IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2023 positions Taiwan 6th globally, marking its best performance since 2012, and in the IMD World Talent Ranking 2023, Taiwan ranks 20th internationally and 3rd in Asia. Additionally, Numbeo's Health Care Index by Country 2023 Mid-Year has ranked Taiwan as 1st place in the world for five years in succession. Furthermore, Taiwan remains the happiest country in East Asia, according to the UN World Happiness Report 2023 (WHP), and for the first time, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has included Taiwan in the Social Institutions and Gender Index 2023, ranking it second globally.
In the area of government systems, important rankings this year include the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2022 Report, in which Taiwan is ranked 10th globally and 1st in Asia. In a transnational academic project entitled Democracy Report 2023, conducted by the University of Gothenburg V-Dem Institute in Sweden, Taiwan ranks 30th, placing it among the top three in Asia alongside Japan (27th) and South Korea (28th). This report classifies countries' democratic standards from high to low as "liberal democracies", "electoral democracies", "electoral autocracies", and "closed autocracies", with Taiwan included in the category of "liberal democracies". Additionally, in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2022, Taiwan retains 25th position with its best score since 1995, confirming Taiwan's ongoing commitment to maintain a hard-earned corruption-free environment.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council has compiled important global rankings for Taiwan in various fields and set up the "Taiwan's International Rankings" section on its official website (http://Rankings.Taiwan-World.Net). The OCAC regularly collects important current information to enhance, among nationals domestically and abroad, the understanding and promotion of Taiwan's world-class performance across different sectors. This selected ranking data includes a total of 19 items, and the OCAC will continuously update relevant rankings concerning Taiwan. We welcome friends at home and overseas to actively share this information, and together, we can use these statistics to showcase Taiwan's impressive accomplishments.
