According to the official household registration statistics, Kinmen had a population of 47,339 in 1995; by 2005, the population rose to 70,264. Most of the residential housing is traditional Southern Fujian buildings. San-Ho-Yuan, a three-section compound with a courtyard, is the most popular vernacular dwelling. In recent years, along with the rapid economic development, much modern public housing has been built, and has become more common in Kinmen.
Kinmen is surrounded by the ocean. Fish, shrimps and shellfish can be found in the shallows and bays. Coastal residents live off the sea. Nevertheless, the fishery resources are quite limited. Only a small quantity of food grains and vegetables grow on the island due to the narrow unproductive land and scant rainfall. Many people chose to move to mainland Taiwan, Penghu or other countries in Southeast Asia. The population of overseas Chinese in Kinmen reached 200 thousand. Kinmen has been known as the Homeland for Overseas Chinese. For decades, the government has endeavored to introduce new species and experiment on the modification of agricultural products, so the harvest has increased substantially. The local government is also aggressively promoting the planting of commercial forest and fruit trees. The implementation of forestation is very successful, making Kinmen a nostalgic green island.
Kinmen has the densest road system in the world. The complete network provides convenient transportation island-wide. Roads are paved with asphalt or concrete. The heavy shading provided by trees along both sides of the roads is a special feature of Kinmen. The transportation between Kinmen and Taiwan is also convenient. There are air-liners run by Far Eastern Air Transport, TransAsia Airways, Uni Air and Mandarin Airlines. Kinmen Express and other cargo carrier also provide ocean liner services. The development of telecommunication is as advanced in Kinmen as that in Taiwan.
Although Kinmen does not have a magnificent range of mountains or a long cacophonous river, it exudes a unique ambiance that is simple and relaxing. She remains a pure land unpolluted by the sophisticated modern world.