New Taipei City had an estimated 4,004,367 residents in January 2023, making it Taiwan’s most populous city.
New Taipei is a special municipality in northern Taiwan and completely surrounds Taipei City. Its municipal seat is Banqiao District, a major commercial and transportation center. The city’s large population reflects the dense urban belt stretching around the capital as well as numerous suburban and mountainous districts.
The municipality was created on 25 December 2010, when Taipei County was reorganized as a special municipality. Although its name includes “New,” it is not simply a newer section of Taipei City: the two are separate administrative jurisdictions, with New Taipei surrounding the smaller capital municipality.
Another common mix-up is choosing Taipei because it is Taiwan’s capital and internationally better known. Taipei City is highly important, but New Taipei has the larger population. Taichung and Kaohsiung are also major Taiwanese municipalities; Kaohsiung is larger by area, while New Taipei leads by residents in the cited 2023 figures. New Taipei is also Taiwan’s second-largest special municipality by area, behind Kaohsiung.