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PEOPLE OF MICRONESIA
Name of the People: noun: Micronesian(s); adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese.
Ethnic Groups: Chuukese/Mortlockese 49.3 percent, Pohnpeian 29.8 percent, Kosraean 6.3 percent, Yapese 5.7 percent, Yap outer islanders 5.1 percent, Polynesian 1.6 percent, Asian 1.4 percent, other 0.8 percent (2010 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Languages: English (official and common language), Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Religions: Roman Catholic 54.7 percent, Protestant 41.1 percent (includes Congregational 38.5 percent, Baptist 1.1 percent, Seventh Day Adventist 0.8 percent, Assembly of God 0.7 percent), Church of Jesus Christ 1.5 percent, other 1.9 percent, none 0.7 percent, unspecified 0.1 percent (2010 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population of Micronesia
Population: 100,319 (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 196. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Growth: -0.7 percent (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 227; Birth rate: 18.12 births/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 78; Death rate: 4.2 deaths per 1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 210; Net migration rate: -20.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 229. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Distribution: the majority of the populaton lives in the coastal areas of the high islands; the mountainous interior is largely uninhabited; less than half of the population lives in urban areas. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Demography of Micronesia
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 27.41 percent (male 13,968/female 13,527); 15-64 years: 67.13 percent (male 32,721/female 34,627); 65 years and over: 5.46 percent (2023 estimate) (male 2,433/female 3,043). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Dependency Ratios: total dependency ratio: 57.7; youth dependency ratio: 48.4; elderly dependency ratio: 9.3; potential support ratio: 10.8 (2021 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Median Age: total: 26.3 years; male: 25.5 years; female: 27.1 years (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 154. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Urbanization: urban population: 23.4 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 1.52 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate); Major Urban Areas (population): 7,000 PALIKIR (capital) (2018)
Fertility, Birth Control, Marriage and Sex
Total Fertility Rate: 2.22 children born per woman (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 81; Gross reproduction rate: 1.08 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Contraceptive Use: NA. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Married Women (ages 15-49): 51.7 percent (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female; 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female; total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 estimate)
Health of Micronesian People
Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 74.71 years; male: 72.61 years; female: 76.91 years (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: population 138. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Infant Mortality Rate: total: 21.37 deaths per 1,000 live births; male: 24.4 deaths per 1,000 live births; female: 18.19 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 76. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Maternal Mortality Ratio: 74 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 81. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Obesity (prevalence rate among adults): 45.8 percent (2016); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 10. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita: total: 1.59 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); beer: 0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); wine: 0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); spirits: 0.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); other alcohols: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 138. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Illegal Drugs: major consumer of cannabis
Drinking Water Source: improved: total: 78.6 percent of population; unimproved: total: 21.4 percent of population (2017 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Image Sources:
Text Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated August 2023