Taiwan's disabled population is increasing steadily, with the number of physically or mentally challenged women growing faster than the number of males in this category, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) reported Sunday. The number of people holding MOI-issued disability certificates had reached 1,054,457 as of the end of June this year, the ministry said in a press statement. The figure marked a 2.67 percent year-on-year rise and accounted for 4.57 percent of Taiwan's total population, the statement said. Males outnumbered females, 606,458 to 447,999, according to MOI statistics. But MOI officials said that over the past 12 years, the disabled female population has been growing faster than its male counterpart. 'This phenomenon mainly stems from the fact that more women have been falling victim to dementia or chronic mental disorders, ' said an MOI official. According to MOI statistics, people with limb deficiencies accounted for the largest percentage -- 37.6 percent -- of the disabled population, followed by those with dysfunctional vital organs at 10.8 percent and hearing-impaired persons at 10.7 percent. By age, the mentally challenged formed the bulk of the under-18 disabled population, accounting for 37 percent of the total. In the over-18 category, people with limb deficiencies outnumbered those with other disabilities, making up 39 percent of the total. In terms of areas, Taitung County in eastern Taiwan had the highest disabled population at 8.9 percent, followed by the southwestern county of Yulin at 7.9 percent and eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 7.7 percent. 