A Large Percentage of Taiwan’s Chemical Production is Exported

In 2011, approximately 47% of Taiwan’s chemical sales were in foreign markets, based on data found at Taiwan’s Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) (click here to find this data).  This data shows that in 2011 the chemical manufacturing sector in Taiwan had a total $86.4 billion in sales.   Other DGBAS data shows that the chemical sector had exports of approximately $40.8 billion in 2011.  Therefore, about 47% ($40.8 billion exported/$86.4 billion produced) of Taiwan’s chemical production (measured by sales price) was exported in 2011.  A similar percentage is likely for subsequent years.

DGBAS also shows that the total Taiwan exports (all exports, not just chemical exports) totaled $305.4 billion in 2013.  The percentages of this $305.4 billion total exported to specific countries were:  mainland China, 27%; Hong Kong, 13%; USA, 11%; Singapore, 6%; Japan, 6%; South Korea, 4%; Philippines, 3%; Vietnam, 3%; Malaysia, 3%; Thailand, 2%; Germany, 2%; Indonesia, 2%; and all others, 7%.

Assuming that the percentage of chemicals exported to specific countries is roughly the same as the percentage of all products exported to specific countries, this suggests that about $11 billion of chemicals were exported to mainland China in 2011 (27% X $40.8 billion); about 5.3 billion to Hong Kong in 2011 (13% X $40.8 billion); about $4.5 billion of chemicals exported to USA in 2011 (11% X $40.8), etc.   And, roughly the same amounts are likely to have been exported in 2012 and 2013.