Taiwan’s Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said on October 30 that third-quarter growth was estimated at 14.36% year on year, the highest for a third quarter in 48 years and 2.94 percentage points above its August forecast, driven by AI-related exports and equipment investment.
The Taipei Times, citing the Central News Agency, reported that the DGBAS estimated real GDP in the third quarter rose 14.36% from a year earlier on October 30. That is the highest third-quarter figure in 48 years, 2.94 percentage points above the August forecast, and the fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.
광고 문의 · 300×250Growth for the first three quarters is put at 14.22%, the highest for that period in half a century. DGBAS specialist Chiang Hsin-yi said the last comparable run of double-digit growth was in 1986 and 1987, when the economy expanded for six consecutive quarters as capital and foreign-exchange controls were gradually eased.
Exports and investment lead
Exports beat expectations on demand for AI applications, high-performance computing and cloud services, and on orders for electronic components used in new consumer products; higher export prices also lifted value. Exports of industries outside electronics and ICT also grew at double-digit rates, which the agency read as a gradual recovery of traditional industries.
Business investment was stronger still. Real investment plus inventory changes rose 26.36% in the quarter, 4.26 points above the earlier forecast, while capital equipment imports in NT dollars jumped 58.5%, including a 35.66% rise in semiconductor equipment. Investment in machinery, transport equipment, intellectual property and construction also grew.
Real private consumption rose 5.37%, 0.01 points above the August forecast and above 5% for a second straight quarter, which the agency attributed to a recovering auto market and the wealth effect of record Taiwan share prices. Growth remains concentrated in semiconductor and AI-related sectors, which bears watching; the report reviewed here did not cover the full-year forecast or downside risks.