Retail sales in Taiwan experienced a year-on-year increase of 0.9% in December 2025, marking the slowest growth since a decline in September. This is a decrease from the 1.6% rise observed in the previous month. Significant reductions were seen in sales of specific sectors: food, beverages, and tobacco in specialized stores contracted by 2.7%, down from a 4.0% growth in November; textiles and clothing sales fell by 7.8%, compared to a 4.8% increase previously; pharmaceutical and medical goods saw a decrease of 2.6%, a drop from November’s 0.6% rise; and cultural and recreation goods also declined by 1.4%, from a previous increase of 6.0%.
Additional moderation in retail activity was noticed in other specialized stores, with growth at 8.0%, down from 14.6%; information and communications equipment and electrical household appliances saw growth at 4.7%, a decline from 6.9%; and general merchandise stores experienced growth of only 0.4%, a significant fall from the previous 6.7%.
Conversely, sales showed an upward trend in other areas: construction materials rebounded to a growth of 1.6% from a previous decline of 5.6%; sales of motor vehicles, motorcycles, and related parts and accessories surged by 10.2%, recovering from a 6.9% dip; and retail trade not occurring in stores or stalls edged up by 0.4%, after a 1.0% decrease. Electronic shopping and mail-order houses continued to rise, reporting growth of 1.9%, up from 1.0%. On a month-to-month basis, overall retail activity in December saw a 2% decline, following an eight-month peak of a 6.7% increase.
