Nearly 5,600 people obtained Republic of China (ROC) nationality last year, most of whom were naturalized because they are spouses of Taiwanese nationals, the Ministry of the Interior said on Saturday.
Ministry statistics show that 5,597 people obtained ROC citizenship last year, down 5.5 percent from the previous year, mainly because the number of international marriages has been in decline since 2005.
This has in turn led to a decline in the number of foreign spouses seeking naturalization over the past few years.
The ratio of foreign spouses naturalized also dropped from its peak of 99.3 percent of the total number of naturalizations in 2005 to 94.9 percent last year.
Statistics show that those who obtained ROC nationality last year were mainly women, accounting for 96.8 percent, with spouses of Taiwanese nationals accounting for 94.9 percent.
The original nationality of the naturalized spouses was mostly Vietnamese, who accounted for 76.6 percent.
The ministry said that 85,887 people have obtained ROC nationality over the past decade.
The statistics also show that 722 people lost their ROC nationality last year. Voluntary renunciation accounted for 81.2 percent of those who lost their ROC nationality last year.
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