Taiwan's declining birthrate and aging population trigger a wave of unclaimed inheritances! 3.1 billion in assets "confiscated in full," and a major landowner's 140 million yuan worth of land has gone unclaimed for 44 years

The latest statistics from Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance’s National Property Administration show that over the past five years, the total value of unclaimed inheritance assets that have entered the national treasury exceeds NT$3.1 billion, highlighting the increasingly serious phenomenon of inheritance discontinuity under an aging and low-birthrate society.
(Background: Taiwan rapidly advancing into an “ultra-aged society,” twice as fast as Japan! Increased burden on national health insurance, labor shortages in companies… a population crisis is emerging.)
(Additional context: The U.S. has finalized a plan to reduce tariffs on Taiwan to 15%, and TSMC is investing trillions of NT dollars to build five more factories in the U.S.)

According to the latest statistics from Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance’s National Property Administration, in the period from 2021 to 2025, the total value of unclaimed inheritance cases that have been transferred to the state treasury in Taiwan amounts to approximately NT$3.17 billion, including 54 houses and 704 land parcels, reflecting the ongoing increase in unclaimed inheritance cases amid social structural changes in Taiwan.

National Property Administration accelerates cleanup; inheritance cases still pending resolution

The National Property Administration states that, over the years, the agency and its subordinate branches have handled a total of 9,130 inheritance management cases. As of the end of 2025, 1,707 cases of entrusted inheritance remain unresolved. In the past five years, the agency has expedited processing, completing 970 cases, averaging about 194 cases per year.

These assets transferred to the state treasury mainly come from debt repayments and residuals after the delivery of bequests, legally belonging to the national treasury. One of the most notable cases involved the inheritance of multiple land parcels located in Xinyi District and Wenshan District, Taipei City, left by an heir who passed away in 1977. Due to long-term unclaimed inheritance, the court appointed the National Property Administration as the manager, and the case was only settled in 2021, with the amount transferred to the national treasury reaching NT$140 million. The process spanned 44 years, highlighting the complexity and time-consuming nature of unclaimed inheritance cases.

Social structural changes lead to an increase in unclaimed inheritance cases

The underlying reason for this phenomenon is closely related to Taiwan’s aging and low-birthrate society. Long-term low fertility rates mean many elderly individuals have no children or direct relatives to inherit; at the same time, increasing numbers of unmarried and single people lead to family relationships becoming more distant, resulting in rapid inheritance discontinuity.

Even when relatives exist, they often choose to abandon inheritance due to debts exceeding assets (such as medical and long-term care expenses in old age), heavy taxes and management burdens (especially real estate), or weakened family bonds. Additionally, urbanization and nuclear family trends are gradually eroding traditional concepts of “raising children for old age” and “passing on the family line,” leading many people to not make wills, with inheritance ultimately flowing into the national treasury.

The National Property Administration emphasizes that the inheritance management process is often delayed due to complex debts, litigation disputes, or manpower shortages. It urges those with inheritance rights to promptly declare their inheritance within the court’s公告催告期限 (public notice and deadline), to protect their rights. Otherwise, the remaining inheritance will be legally transferred to the state treasury.