Taiwan’s Losses Linked to LGBT Discrimination Estimated at $1.2–3.4 Billion a Year

International business coalition Open for Business published a report on LGBT people’s economic position in Taiwan on October 28, 2026. Its authors estimate the annual economic burden of discrimination and exclusion from social and working life at NT$39.02–107.05 billion, about US$1.23–3.38 billion or 0.14–0.38% of Taiwan’s 2025 GDP.

The calculation has three components: NT$19.41–58.23 billion in excess burden associated with stigma, depression and HIV/AIDS; NT$17.26–36.99 billion in earnings lost to the pay gap; and NT$2.34–11.83 billion linked to LGBT people’s over-representation in non-standard employment.

This is a model-based estimate using research and statistics, rather than a total of directly recorded losses. The methodology annex notes the lack of a weighted sample of Taiwan’s LGBT population for direct comparison with the general population. It treats the pay gap and the distribution of employment types as separate sources of loss, a consequential assumption of the model.

The report links LGBT employees’ circumstances to staff retention. In the cited 2023 online survey, which collected 1,307 valid responses, 64% of participants said their employer’s approach to gender and sexuality affected their decision to stay or leave.

Open for Business brings together international companies and studies the economic dimensions of LGBT people’s circumstances. Uránia previously covered its similar report on Japan.