Statistical information Nauru 2023
Nauru in the World
Nauru - Introduction 2023
top of pageBackground:
Nauru was inhabited by Micronesian and Polynesian settlers by around 1000 B.C., and the island was divided into 12 clans. Nauru developed in relative isolation because ocean currents made landfall on the island difficult. As a result, the Nauruan language does not clearly resemble any other in the Pacific region. In 1798, British sea captain John FEARN became the first European to spot the island. By 1830, European whalers used Nauru as a supply stop, trading firearms for food. In 1878, a civil war erupted on the island, reducing the population by more than a third. Germany forcibly annexed Nauru in 1888 by holding the 12 chiefs under house arrest until they consented to the annexation. Germany banned alcohol, confiscated weapons, instituted strict dress codes, and brought in Christian missionaries to convert the population. Phosphate was discovered in 1900 and heavily mined, although Nauru and Nauruans earned about one tenth of one percent of the profits from the phosphate deposits.
Australian forces captured Nauru from Germany during World War I, and in 1919, it was placed under a joint Australian-British-New Zealand mandate with Australian administration. Japan occupied Nauru during World War II and used its residents as forced labor elsewhere in the Pacific while destroying much of the infrastructure on the island. After the war, Nauru became a UN trust territory under Australian administration. Recognizing the phosphate stocks would eventually be depleted, in 1962, Australian Prime Minister Robert MENZIES offered to resettle all Nauruans on Curtis Island in Queensland, but Nauruans rejected that plan and opted for independence, which was achieved in 1968. In 1970, Nauru purchased the phosphate mining assets, and income from the mines made Nauruans among the richest people in the world. However, Nauru subsequently began a series of unwise investments in buildings, musical theater, and an airline. Nauru sued Australia in 1989 for the damage caused by mining when Australia administered the island. Widespread phosphate mining officially ceased in 2006.
Nauru went nearly bankrupt by 2000 and tried to rebrand itself as an offshore banking haven, although it ended that practice in 2005. In 2001, Australia set up the Nauru Regional Processing Center (NRPC), an offshore refugee detention facility, paying Nauru per person at the center. The NRPC was closed in 2008 but reopened in 2012. The number of refugees has steadily declined since 2014, and the remaining people were moved to a hotel in Brisbane, Australia, in 2020, effectively shuttering the NRPC. In a bid for Russian humanitarian aid, in 2008, Nauru recognized the breakaway Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Australian forces captured Nauru from Germany during World War I, and in 1919, it was placed under a joint Australian-British-New Zealand mandate with Australian administration. Japan occupied Nauru during World War II and used its residents as forced labor elsewhere in the Pacific while destroying much of the infrastructure on the island. After the war, Nauru became a UN trust territory under Australian administration. Recognizing the phosphate stocks would eventually be depleted, in 1962, Australian Prime Minister Robert MENZIES offered to resettle all Nauruans on Curtis Island in Queensland, but Nauruans rejected that plan and opted for independence, which was achieved in 1968. In 1970, Nauru purchased the phosphate mining assets, and income from the mines made Nauruans among the richest people in the world. However, Nauru subsequently began a series of unwise investments in buildings, musical theater, and an airline. Nauru sued Australia in 1989 for the damage caused by mining when Australia administered the island. Widespread phosphate mining officially ceased in 2006.
Nauru went nearly bankrupt by 2000 and tried to rebrand itself as an offshore banking haven, although it ended that practice in 2005. In 2001, Australia set up the Nauru Regional Processing Center (NRPC), an offshore refugee detention facility, paying Nauru per person at the center. The NRPC was closed in 2008 but reopened in 2012. The number of refugees has steadily declined since 2014, and the remaining people were moved to a hotel in Brisbane, Australia, in 2020, effectively shuttering the NRPC. In a bid for Russian humanitarian aid, in 2008, Nauru recognized the breakaway Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Nauru - Geography 2023
top of pageLocation: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
Geographic coordinates: 0 32 S, 166 55 E
Map reference: Oceania
Area
Total: 21 km²
Land: 21 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
Total: 0 km
Coastline: 30 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)
Terrain: sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
Elevation
Highest point: Command Ridge 70 m
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Natural resources: phosphates, fish
Land use
Land use
Agricultural land: 20% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 20% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Other: 80% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²
Total water withdrawal
Total renewable water resources: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Geography
Note: Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world behind the Holy See (Vatican City) and Monaco; it is the smallest country in the Pacific Ocean, the smallest country outside Europe, the world's smallest island country, and the the world's smallest independent republic; situated just 53 km south of the Equator, Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia
Nauru - People 2023
top of pagePopulation
Distribution: extensive phosphate mining made approximately 90% of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast: 9,852 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.42% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: NA
Nationality
Noun: Nauruan(s)
Adjective: Nauruan
Ethnic groups: Nauruan 94.6%, I-Kiribati 2.2%, Fijian 1.3%, other 1.9% (2021 est.)
Languages: Nauruan 93% (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English 2% (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes), other 5% (includes Gilbertese 2% and Chinese 2%) (2011 est.)
Note: data represent main language spoken at home; Nauruan is spoken by 95% of the population, English by 66%, and other languages by 12%
Religions: Protestant 60.4% (Nauruan Congregational 34.7%, Assemblies of God 11.6%, Pacific Light House 6.3%, Nauru Independent 3.6%, Baptist 1.5, Seventh Day Adventist 1.3%, other Protestant 1.4%), Roman Catholic 33.9%, other 4.2%, none 1.3%, no answer 0.3% (2021 est.)
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
0-14 years: 30.13% (male 1,513/female 1,455)
15-64 years: 65.65% (male 3,183/female 3,285)
65 years and over: 4.22% (2023 est.) (male 141/female 275)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 69.9
Youth dependency ratio: 66
Elderly dependency ratio: 3.9
Potential support ratio: 25.8 (2021)
Median age
Total: 27.5 years (2023 est.)
Male: 26.9 years
Female: 28.2 years
Population growth rate: 0.42% (2023 est.)
Birth rate: 20.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate: -10.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population distribution: extensive phosphate mining made approximately 90% of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast
Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.18% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas
Environment
Current issues: limited natural freshwater resources, roof storage tanks that collect rainwater and desalination plants provide water; a century of intensive phosphate mining beginning in 1906 left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland; cadmium residue, phosphate dust, and other contaminants have caused air and water pollution with negative impacts on health; climate change has brought on rising sea levels and inland water shortages
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 7.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 0.05 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 0.01 megatons (2020 est.)
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: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 9.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.3 years (2023 est.)
Male: 64.7 years
Female: 72 years
Total fertility rate: 2.58 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA
Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure: 12% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density: 1.35 physicians/1,000 population (2015)
Hospital bed density
Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
96.3% of population
rural: NA
total: 96.3% of population
rural: NA
total: 96.3% of population
Unimproved urban:
3.7% of population
rural: NA
total: 3.7% of population (2017 est.)
rural: NA
total: 3.7% of population (2017 est.)
Hiv/Aids
Major infectious diseases
Obesity adult prevalence rate: 61% (2016)
Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 2.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total: 48.5% (2020 est.)
Male: 47.8% (2020 est.)
Female: 49.1% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA
Education expenditures: 7.1% of GDP (2021) NA
Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 26.6% (2013)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 20.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 37.5%
Nauru - Government 2023
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
Conventional short form: Nauru
Local long form: Republic of Nauru
Local short form: Nauru
Former: Pleasant Island
Etymology: the island name may derive from the Nauruan word "anaoero" meaning "I go to the beach"
Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital
Name: no official capital; government offices in the Yaren District
Time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baitsi, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Dependent areas
Independence: 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Constitution
History: effective 29 January 1968
Amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament; amendments to constitutional articles, such as the republican form of government, protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, the structure and authorities of the executive and legislative branches, also require two-thirds majority of votes in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2018
Legal system: mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and customary law
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch
Chief of state: President David ADEANG (since 30 October 2023); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President David ADEANG (since 30 October 2023)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of Parliament
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by Parliament for 3-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 30 October 2023 (next to be held in 2,026)
Election results: David ADEAGN elected president over Delvin THOMA, 10-8
Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament (19 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by majority vote using the "Dowdall" counting system by which voters rank candidates on their ballots; members serve 3-year terms)
Elections: last held on 24 September 2022 (next to be held in September 2025)
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 19; composition - men 17, women 2, percent of women 10.5%
Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several justices); note - in late 2017, the Nauruan Government revoked the 1976 High Court Appeals Act, which had allowed appeals beyond the Nauruan Supreme Court, and in early 2018, the government formed its own appeals court
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president to serve until age 65
Subordinate courts: District Court, Family Court
Political parties and leaders: Nauru does not have formal political parties; alliances within the government are often formed based on extended family ties
International organization participation: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICCt, IFAD, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Margo DEIYE (since 1 December 2021)
In the us chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Third Floor, New York, NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074
In the us FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079
In the us email address and website:
From the us embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
Flag description
: blue with a narrow, horizontal, gold stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; blue stands for the Pacific Ocean, the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the gold stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru; the star's white color represents phosphate, the basis of the island's wealthNational symbols: frigatebird, calophyllum flower; national colors: blue, yellow, white
National anthem
Name: "Nauru Bwiema" (Song of Nauru)
Lyrics/music: Margaret HENDRIE/Laurence Henry HICKS
Note: adopted 1968
National heritage
Nauru - Economy 2023
top of pageEconomy overview: upper-middle-income Pacific island country; phosphate resource exhaustion made island interior uninhabitable; licenses fishing rights; houses Australia’s Regional Processing Centre; former tax haven; largely dependent on foreign subsidies
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
$149.474 million (2021 est.)
$147.265 million (2020 est.)
$145.591 million (2019 est.)
$147.265 million (2020 est.)
$145.591 million (2019 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real gdp growth rate:
1.5% (2021 est.)
1.15% (2020 est.)
0% (2019 est.)
1.15% (2020 est.)
0% (2019 est.)
Real gdp per capita:
$11,900 (2021 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$12,000 (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$12,000 (2019 est.)
$12,000 (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$12,000 (2019 est.)
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 98% (2016 est.)
Government consumption: 37.6% (2016 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 42.2% (2016 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 11.2% (2016 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -89.1% (2016 est.)
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6.1% (2009 est.)
Industry: 33% (2009 est.)
Services: 60.8% (2009 est.)
Agriculture products: coconuts, tropical fruit, vegetables, pork, eggs, pig offals, pig fat, poultry, papayas, cabbages
Industries: phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate: NA
Labor force: NA
Labor force
Unemployment rate:
23% (2011 est.)
90% (2004 est.)
90% (2004 est.)
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 26.6% (2013)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 20.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 37.5%
Population below poverty line: NA
Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 34.8 (2012 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: NA
Highest 10%: NA
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget
Revenues: $195 million (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $158 million (2020 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -9.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Taxes and other revenues: 48.24% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
Public debt:
62% of GDP (2017 est.)
65% of GDP (2016 est.)
65% of GDP (2016 est.)
Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Inflation rate consumer prices:
5.1% (2017 est.)
8.2% (2016 est.)
8.2% (2016 est.)
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance:
$8.406 million (2018 est.)
$14.11 million (2017 est.)
$2.079 million (2016 est.)
$14.11 million (2017 est.)
$2.079 million (2016 est.)
Exports:
$187 million (2021 est.)
$105 million (2020 est.)
$32.7 million (2019 est.)
$105 million (2020 est.)
$32.7 million (2019 est.)
Note: data are in current year dollars
Partners: Thailand 49%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Philippines 11%, South Korea 8%, India 7% (2021)
Commodities: skipjack, calcium phosphates, tuna, cars, delivery trucks, low-voltage protection equipment (2021)
Imports:
$94.2 million (2021 est.)
$103 million (2020 est.)
$88.2 million (2019 est.)
$103 million (2020 est.)
$88.2 million (2019 est.)
Note: data are in current year dollars
Partners: Australia 36%, Taiwan 16%, China 12%, Japan 12%, Nigeria 7% (2021)
Commodities: refined petroleum, tugboats, cigarettes, cars, construction vehicles (2021)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt external: $33.3 million (2004 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.331 (2021 est.)
1.453 (2020 est.)
1.439 (2019 est.)
1.338 (2018 est.)
1.305 (2017 est.)
1.453 (2020 est.)
1.439 (2019 est.)
1.338 (2018 est.)
1.305 (2017 est.)
Nauru - Energy 2023
top of pageElectricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 15,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 34.216 million kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 400 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 449 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 66,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 66,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: 0 Btu/person (2019 est.)
Nauru - Communication 2023
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: (2018 est.) 0
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2018 est.) 0
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 10,000 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (2021 est.)
Telephone system
Broadcast media: 1 government-owned TV station broadcasting programs from New Zealand sent via satellite or on videotape; 1 government-owned radio station, broadcasting on AM and FM, utilizes Australian and British programs (2019)
Internet
Country code: .nr
Users total: 10,920 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 84% (2021 est.)
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 950 (2010 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2010 est.)
Nauru - Military 2023
top of pageMilitary expenditures
Military and security forces: no regular military forces; the police force, under the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, maintains internal security and, as necessary, external security (2023)
Military service age and obligation
Space program
Terrorist groups
Nauru - Transportation 2023
top of pageNational air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 45,457 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 7.94 million (2018) mt-km
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: C2
Airports: 1 (2021)
With paved runways: 1
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
Heliports
Pipelines
Railways
Roadways
Total: 30 km (2002)
Paved: 24 km (2002)
Unpaved: 6 km (2002)
Waterways
Merchant marine
Total: 3 (2022)
By type: other 3
Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Nauru
Nauru - Transnational issues 2023
top of pageDisputes international: none identified
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 140 (2022)
Illicit drugs