日治時期為台灣工業化萌芽的階段,也是台灣從傳統農業社會走向當代工商業社會的轉變時期。本文即思欲探討,在此半世紀轉變時期,台灣人口是否隨工業化初期之發展而逐漸往都市集中。全文藉由《日據時期台灣統計書》和《台灣日治時期統計資料庫》之第二、三級行政區人口資料,計算Gini係數,以衡量人口集中度。再者,由於考慮不同時期之行政區劃差異問題,文中進一步調整1920年以前各年之區劃,使之與1920年銜接一致,從而使不同年份的人口得以對應相同行政區劃。今由推估各街庄(現今之鄉鎮)人口數及其計算各年Gini係數之結果顯示,台灣在日治時期的人口分佈,略有從鄉村地區逐漸往都市集中的趨勢。
It begins Industrialization in Taiwan whichhas transformed from agricultural to industrial and commercial societyduring Japanese governance. We in the paper compute Gini coefficient by second-degree and third-degree local administration unit of population data. Gini coefficient estimates the concentration of population. Moreover, local administrative border delimitvary with different period, so we in the paper adjust local administrative border delimit from 1897 to 1919. Using these indices, we conclude thatpeople gradually migrate from rural area to urban area in Taiwan during the Japanese governance.