Taiwan's strong human rights protections, lack of state-sanctioned discrimination, and generally high regard for freedom of religion or belief earned it a joint #1 ranking alongside The Netherlands and Belgium in the 2018 Freedom of Thought Report.
Researchers and academics estimate that as much as 80 percent of the population believes in some form of traditional folk religion.
There also may be an overlap between practitioners of Buddhism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese religions with those of Falun Gong, which is registered as a civic, rather than religious, organization.
The leading proponent of Falun Gong in Taiwan reports that membership exceeds 500,000 and continues to grow rapidly.
In addition to traditional Chinese religions, small percentages of the population consider themselves Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Sunni Muslim.
Other Christian denominations present include Presbyterians, the True Jesus Church, Baptists, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, and Episcopalians.
The MOI Religious Affairs Section estimates that approximately 50 percent of the population regularly participates in some form of organized religious practice, as distinguished from "traditional Chinese folk religions," and an estimated 14 percent of the population is atheist.
Taiwan's constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the authorities generally respect this right in practice.
Authorities at all levels protect this right in full, and do not tolerate its abuse, either by official or private actors.
While individual places of worship may register with local authorities, many choose not to do so and operate as the personal property of their leaders.
But in its relatively open, democratic and tolerant society we have recorded no evidence of laws or social discrimination against members of the non-religious minority.
President Chen also credited practicing Muslims on Taiwan for helping to create a richer, more diverse culture on the island.