Taiwan’s National Property Administration said unclaimed inheritance cases transferred about NT$3.17 billion to the state between 2021 and 2025. The total included 54 houses and 704 land parcels, pointing to a growing inheritance gap tied to an aging population and low birth rates.
Hundreds of properties were absorbed into public ownership
According to the agency, these assets were the remaining portions of estates after debt repayment and the delivery of bequests, with the balance reverting to the treasury under the law. The administration and its branches have handled a cumulative 9,130 inheritance management cases. By the end of 2025, 1,707 estates were still under management awaiting disposal. Over the past five years, the agency closed 970 cases, or about 194 cases per year.
A Taipei land inheritance case remained unresolved for 44 years
The most notable completed case involved land left by a deceased person who died in 1977. The estate included multiple plots in Taipei’s Xinyi District and Wenshan District. Because no one came forward to claim the inheritance, a court appointed the National Property Administration as estate manager. The case was not closed until 2021, and assets worth NT$140 million were turned over to the state. The span from death to closure reached 44 years.
Low birth rates and family fragmentation are driving more cases
The report linked the rise in such cases to demographic change in Taiwan. Long-term low fertility means some older people leave behind no children or direct heirs. Growth in single and unmarried populations has also weakened family ties in some cases, making inheritance lines easier to break. Even where relatives exist, they may renounce inheritance if debts exceed assets, or if taxes and management burdens tied to real estate are too heavy.
The agency said estate management is often delayed by complex debts, legal disputes, and staffing constraints. It urged eligible heirs to declare acceptance of inheritance within the court-announced claim period. If no one does so, the remaining estate is transferred to the state under existing rules.