There are 12,106 registered temples in the nation, with Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County the top three areas for temple count with 35 percent of the total, a Ministry of the Interior census showed on Monday.
According to the census, Taoist temples are the most numerous at 9,485, 78.35 percent of the total, while Buddhist temples are second at 2,355, or 19.45 percent. I-Kuan Tao temples are third, with 222 temples, or 1.83 percent.
The three religions comprised 99.64 percent of all temples, with temples of other religions numbering only 44, 0.36 percent, the census showed.
Tainan has the most temples at 1,613, Kaohsiung is second with 1,481 and Pingtung County has 1,101, the census showed.
The report showed there was a 2.6 percent increase in temples, or 310, over the past five years.
Separately, as of December last year, churches in the nation totaled 3,280, a 0.6 percent decrease, or 19 churches, in comparison with the 2009 tally, the report said.
Protestant churches comprised the majority with 2,515, or 76.68 percent, while Roman Catholic churches were second with 715, or 21.80 percent, the report said.
Protestant and Catholic churches comprised 98.48 percent of all churches, the report said.
Taipei had the most churches at 464, Kaohsiung was second with 311 and Hualien third with 287, the report said.
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