Taiwan ADIZ Violations — Statistics by Year and Month
Overview
Every PLA aircraft that Taiwan's ministry of national defense reported inside its de facto air defense identification zone, counted by month and by year since September 2020. An ADIZ entry is not a violation of sovereign airspace: the zone is airspace in which Taiwan requires aircraft to identify themselves, bounded to the west by the Taiwan Strait median line. Sustained incursions nonetheless force Taipei to scramble interceptors, and the yearly totals below track how far the campaign has escalated since Beijing abandoned its restraint over the median line in August 2022.
Monthly Trend Since 2020
Every Month Since 2020
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 166 | 147 | 121 | 169 | 216 | 134 | 190 | 125 | 142 | · | · | · | 1,410 |
| 2025 | 248 | 362 | 309 | 364 | 339 | 356 | 392 | 317 | 313 | 222 | 266 | 274 | 3,762 |
| 2024 | 72 | 86 | 140 | 157 | 289 | 325 | 437 | 399 | 322 | 370 | 269 | 209 | 3,075 |
| 2023 | 126 | 113 | 122 | 259 | 125 | 109 | 163 | 130 | 225 | 141 | 110 | 80 | 1,703 |
| 2022 | 143 | 70 | 64 | 75 | 119 | 84 | 70 | 446 | 192 | 97 | 171 | 207 | 1,738 |
| 2021 | 81 | 40 | 54 | 107 | 29 | 43 | 17 | 34 | 117 | 196 | 168 | 86 | 972 |
| 2020 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 69 | 28 | 41 | 32 | 170 |
Peak Months and What Drove Them
| Month | ADIZ aircraft | Context |
|---|---|---|
| August 2022 | 446 | China launches unprecedented live-fire exercises encircling Taiwan after Pelosi visit |
| July 2024 | 437 | No major incident logged |
| August 2024 | 399 | No major incident logged |
| July 2025 | 392 | No major incident logged |
| October 2024 | 370 | China's Joint Sword-2024B drills set single-day record of 153 aircraft around Taiwan |
| April 2025 | 364 | China stages Strait Thunder-2025A drills with live fire and closest carrier approach to T… |
Totals by Year
| Year | Total | Daily avg | Peak day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 · partial | 1,410 | 5.3 | 32 · 12 Feb |
| 2025 | 3,762 | 10.3 | 90 · 29 Dec |
| 2024 | 3,075 | 8.4 | 111 · 14 Oct |
| 2023 | 1,703 | 4.7 | 54 · 10 Apr |
| 2022 | 1,738 | 4.8 | 49 · 5 Aug |
| 2021 | 972 | 2.7 | 56 · 4 Oct |
| 2020 · partial | 170 | 1.5 | 19 · 19 Sep |
Reading the Numbers
2026 has recorded 1,410 aircraft through September 21 — 52% below the 2,923 logged by the same point of 2025.
The busiest month on record is August 2022 with 446 aircraft. It coincides with a logged incident: China launches unprecedented live-fire exercises encircling Taiwan after Pelosi visit.
The single-day record — 111 aircraft on October 14, 2024 — compares with an all-time daily average of 5.8.
The longest pause is 11 consecutive days without a single reported entry, starting August 30, 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many PLA aircraft in Taiwan's ADIZ were recorded in 2026?
1,410 aircraft were recorded between January 1 and September 21, 2026, an average of 5.3 per day. The full-year total for 2025 was 3,762.
What is the record for PLA aircraft in Taiwan's ADIZ in a single day?
The single-day record is 111, set on October 14, 2024.
How often does this activity occur?
Activity was reported on 1,683 of the 2,204 days tracked (76% of days), for 12,830 aircraft in total since September 2020.
Sources: Taiwan Ministry of National Defense - PLA activities reports · Gerald C. Brown & Benjamin Lewis, Taiwan ADIZ Violations, PLATracker