Statistical information Cook Islands 2020

Cook Islands in the World

Cook Islands - Introduction 2020

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Background: The Cook Islands, named after Captain James Cook who landed in 1773, became a British protectorate in 1888 and was later annexed by proclamation in 1900. The Cook Islands was first included within the boundaries of New Zealand in 1901, and in 1965, residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The Cook Islands’ economy relies on tourism, fisheries, and foreign aid. More recently a growing offshore financial sector exposed the country to vulnerabilities which the government has addressed with legislation and regulations for the oversight of all banks and financial institutions, and with enforcement measures. The Cook Islands continues to face challenges with the emigration of skilled workers, government deficits, inadequate infrastructure, and natural resource depletion. The Cook Islands is expected to graduate to the high-income threshold set by the World Bank, which will limit the country’s access to Official Development Assistance under OECD guidelines.

Cook Islands - Geography 2020

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Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 21 14 S, 159 46 W

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 236 km²
Land: 236 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 214
Comparative: 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 120 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March

Terrain: low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south

Elevation
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Te Manga 652 m

Natural resources: coconuts (copra)

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 8.4% (2011 est.)

arable land: 4.2% (2011 est.)
permanent crops: 4.2% (2011 est.)
permanent pasture: 0% (2011 est.)

Forest: 64.6% (2011 est.)
Other: 27% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land
Note: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: tropical cyclones (November to March)

Geography
Note: the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 km²

Cook Islands - People 2020

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Population
Distribution: most of the population is found on the island of Rarotonga: 8,574 (July 2020 est.)
Note: the Cook Islands' Ministry of Finance & Economic Management estimated the resident population to have been 11,700 in September 2016
Rank: 223
Growth rate: -2.59% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 235
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Cook Islander(s)
Adjective: Cook Islander

Ethnic groups: Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 81.3%, part Cook Island Maori 6.7%, other 11.9% (2011 est.)

Languages: English (official) 86.4%, Cook Islands Maori (Rarotongan) (official) 76.2%, other 8.3% (2011 est.)
Note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

Religions: Protestant 62.8% (Cook Islands Christian Church 49.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 7.9%, Assemblies of God 3.7%, Apostolic Church 2.1%), Roman Catholic 17%, Mormon 4.4%, other 8%, none 5.6%, no response 2.2% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.93% (male 901/female 808)
15-24 years: 14.89% (male 684/female 593)
25-54 years: 37.66% (male 1595/female 1634)
55-64 years: 14.15% (male 674/female 539)
65 years and over: 13.37% (male 555/female 591) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 38.3 years
Male: 37.8 years
Female: 38.7 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 64

Population growth rate: -2.59% (2020 est.)
Rank: 235

Birth rate: 13.3 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 139

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 61

Net migration rate: -29.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 226

Population distribution: most of the population is found on the island of Rarotonga

Urbanization
Urban population: 75.5% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.37% annual rate of change

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: limited land presents solid and liquid waste disposal problems; soil destruction and deforestation; environmental degradation due to indiscriminant use of pesticides; improper disposal of pollutants; overfishing and destructive fishing practices; over dredging of lagoons and coral rubble beds; unregulated building
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.25 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 11.9 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 14.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 9.2 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 107

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.6 years
Male: 73.8 years
Female: 79.6 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 93

Total fertility rate: 2.12 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 96

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Total:

100% of population
0% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.3% (2017)

Physicians density: 1.41 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Total:

97.6% of population
2.4% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vectorborne diseases: malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 55.9% (2016)
Rank: 2

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.7% of GDP (2016)
Rank: 69

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 1516 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 14 years (2012)

Youth unemployment

Cook Islands - Government 2020

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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Cook Islands
Former: Hervey Islands
Etymology: named after Captain James COOK, the British explorer who visited the islands in 1773 and 1777

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Avarua
Geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W
Time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: translates as 'two harbors' in Maori

Administrative divisions: none

Dependent areas

Independence: none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 with the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action)

National holiday: Constitution Day, the first Monday in August (1965)

Constitution
History: 4 August 1965 (Cook Islands Constitution Act 1964)
Amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Parliament membership in each of several readings and assent of the chief of state’s representative; passage of amendments relating to the chief of state also requires two-thirds majority approval in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2004

Legal system: common law similar to New Zealand common law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration (New Zealand normally retains responsibility for external affairs); accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Sir Tom J. MARSTERS (since 9 August 2013); New Zealand Acting High Commissioner Ms Rachel BENNETT (since 9 December 2019)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mark BROWN (since 1 October 2020)
Cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; UK representative appointed by the monarch; New Zealand high commissioner appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes prime minister

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament, formerly the Legislative Assembly (24 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms); note - the House of Ariki, a 24-member parliamentary body of traditional leaders appointed by the Queens representative serves as a consultative body to the Parliament
Elections: last held on 14 June 2018 (next to be held by 2022)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Demo 11, CIP 10, One Cook Islands Movement 1, independent 2; composition - men 15, women 9, percent of women 37.5%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and 3 judges of the High Court); High Court (consists of the chief justice and at least 4 judges and organized into civil, criminal, and land divisions); note - appeals beyond the Cook Islands Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
Judge selection and term of office: High Court chief justice appointed by the Queens Representative on the advice of the Executive Council tendered by the prime minister; other judges appointed by the Queens Representative, on the advice of the Executive Council tendered by the chief justice, High Court chief justice, and the minister of justice; chief justice and judges appointed for 3-year renewable terms
Subordinate courts: justices of the peace

Political parties and leaders: Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA]Democratic Party or Demo [Tina BROWNE]One Cook Islands Movement [Teina BISHOP]

International organization participation: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IMO, IMSO, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
From the us: none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Flag description

: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag

National symbols: a circle of 15, five-pointed, white stars on a blue field, Tiare maori (Gardenia taitensis) flower; national colors: green, white

National anthem
Name: Te Atua Mou E (To God Almighty)
Lyricsmusic: Tepaeru Te RITO/Thomas DAVIS
Note: adopted 1982; as prime minister, Sir Thomas DAVIS composed the anthem; his wife, a tribal chief, wrote the lyrics

National heritage

Cook Islands - Economy 2020

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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:

$299.9 million (2016 est.)
$183.2 million (2015 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 0.1% (2005 est.)
Rank: 190

Real gdp per capita:

$16,700 (2016 est.)
$9,100 (2005 est.)

Rank: 87

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin