Taipei: Taiwan's household wealth rose to a record NT$183.7 trillion (US$5.81 trillion) in 2024, driven by the benchmark stock index, which surged past 20,000 points for the first time that year, according to government statistics released Wednesday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the latest national wealth data, released by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), showed that household net worth rose by NT$12.58 trillion, or 7.35 percent year-on-year, to NT$183.7 trillion, at the end of 2024. The primary driver of the growth of household net worth, which includes land valuation, was a historic bull run on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE).

In 2024, the weighted index surged by 5,104.29 points, marking its largest-ever annual gain, and the value of marketable securities held by households consequently jumped 21.76 percent to NT$37.28 trillion, the highest level in five years, the DGBAS said. DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling attributed the stock market rally to explosive global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing, which spurred massive expansion in semiconductor production and advanced packaging capacity across Taiwan's tech supply chain.

Household holdings of marketable securities rose by NT$6.66 trillion, a substantial increase that played a major role in boosting overall household assets. Real estate remained the largest component of household wealth, totaling NT$55.03 trillion and accounting for 29.96 percent of total net worth at the end of 2024, followed by securities at 20.30 percent. Combined, the two categories made up more than half of household assets.

At the national level, total gross national wealth was NT$330.11 trillion at the end of 2024, up 3.20 percent from a year earlier. Non-financial assets made up 84.57 percent of the national total. Within this category, productive assets -- led by construction and machinery equipment -- grew significantly, as firms scaled up advanced manufacturing processes.

Construction assets rose by NT$3.24 trillion, while machinery equipment climbed by NT$1.9 trillion. Net financial assets stood at NT$50.94 trillion, or 15.43 percent of total wealth, down from 16.75 percent a year earlier. Tan said this was largely due to increased foreign investment in local equities. Since foreign holdings are recorded as financial liabilities, they partially offset the gains in domestic financial assets.

Household liabilities climbed in 2024, with the total household debt rising to NT$24.73 trillion, up 11.88 percent from a year earlier. Loans -- primarily mortgages -- accounted for NT$23.91 trillion.