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PEOPLE OF NAURU
Name of the People: noun: Nauruan(s); adjective: Nauruan.
Ethnic Groups: Nauruan 88.9 percent, part Nauruan 6.6 percent, I-Kiribati 2 percent, other 2.5 percent (2007 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Languages: Nauruan 93 percent (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English 2 percent (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes), other 5 percent (includes Gilbertese 2 percent and Chinese 2 percent) (2011 estimate). Data represent main language spoken at home; Nauruan is spoken by 95 percent of the population, English by 66 percent, and other languages by 12 percent. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Religions: Protestant 60.4 percent (includes Nauru Congregational 35.7 percent, Assembly of God 13 percent, Nauru Independent Church 9.5 percent, Baptist 1.5 percent, and Seventh Day Adventist 0.7 percent), Roman Catholic 33 percent, other 3.7 percent, none 1.8 percent, unspecified 1.1 percent (2011 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population of Nauru
Population: 9,852 (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 222. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Growth: 0.42 percent (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 160; Birth rate: 20.71 births/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 65; Death rate: 6.39 deaths per 1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 140; Net migration rate: -10.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 222. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Distribution: extensive phosphate mining made approximately 90 percent of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Demography of Nauru
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 30.13 percent (male 1,513/female 1,455); 15-64 years: 65.65 percent (male 3,183/female 3,285); 65 years and over: 4.22 percent (2023 estimate) (male 141/female 275). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Dependency Ratios: total dependency ratio: 69.9; youth dependency ratio: 66; elderly dependency ratio: 3.9; potential support ratio: 25.8 (2021). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Median Age: total: 27 years; male: 28.2 years; female: 25.9 years (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 150. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Urbanization: urban population: 100 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 0.18 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate)
Fertility, Birth Control, Marriage and Sex
Total Fertility Rate: 2.58 children born per woman (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 65; Gross reproduction rate: 1.27 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Contraceptive Use: NA. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Married Women (ages 15-49): 59.6 percent (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female; 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female; total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Health of the People of Nauru
Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 68.25 years; male: 64.69 years; female: 71.95 years (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: population 186. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Infant Mortality Rate: total: 7.72 deaths per 1,000 live births; male: 9.94 deaths per 1,000 live births; female: 5.41 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 152. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Obesity (prevalence rate among adults): 61 percent (2016); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 1. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita: total: 2.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); beer: 0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); spirits: 1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 125. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Percentage of Population That Uses Tobacco: total: 48.5 percent (2020 estimate); male: 47.8 percent (2020 estimate); female: 49.1 percent (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 1. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Drinking Water Source: improved: urban: 100 percent of population; rural: NA; total: 100 percent of population; unimproved: urban: 0 percent of population; rural: NA; total: 0 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