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PEOPLE OF NEW CALEDONIA
Name of the People: noun: New Caledonian(s); adjective: New Caledonian.
Ethnic Groups: Kanak 39.1 percent, European 27.1 percent, Wallisian, Futunian 8.2 percent, Tahitian 2.1 percent, Indonesian 1.4 percent, Ni-Vanuatu 1 percent, Vietnamese 0.9 percent, other 17.7 percent, unspecified 2.5 percent (2014 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Languages: French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Religions: Christian 85.2 percent, Muslim 2.8 percent, other 1.6 percent, unaffiliated 10.4 percent (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population of New Caledonia
Population: 300,682 (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 182. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Growth: 1.17 percent (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 78; Birth rate: 13.96 births/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 124; Death rate: 5.92 deaths per 1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 162; Net migration rate: 3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 estimate). note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia; ranking compared to other countries in the world: 32. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Distribution: most of the populace lives in the southern part of the main island, in and around the capital of Noumea. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Demography of New Caledonia
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 20.96 percent (male 32,199/female 30,825); 15-64 years: 68.45 percent (male 103,611/female 102,208); 65 years and over: 10.59 percent (2023 estimate) (male 13,914/female 17,925). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Dependency Ratios: total dependency ratio: 49.6; youth dependency ratio: 33.6; elderly dependency ratio: 16; potential support ratio: 6.3 (2021 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Median Age: total: 32.9 years; male: 32.1 years; female: 33.7 years (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 102. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Urbanization: urban population: 72.7 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 1.72 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate); Major Urban Areas (population): 198,000 NOUMEA (capital) (2018)
Fertility, Birth Control, Marriage and Sex
Total Fertility Rate: 1.84 children born per woman (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 137; Gross reproduction rate: 0.9 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Contraceptive Use: NA. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female; 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female; total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Married Women (ages 15-49): 22.5 percent (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Health of the New Caledonian People
Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 79.06 years; male: 75.19 years; female: 83.13 years (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: population 66. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Infant Mortality Rate: total: 4.92 deaths per 1,000 live births; male: 5.88 deaths per 1,000 live births; female: 3.91 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 176. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Drinking Water Source: improved: urban: NA; rural: NA; total: 99.3 percent of population; unimproved: urban: NA; rural: NA; total: 0.7 percent of population (2020 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