Statistical information Pitcairn Islands 2023
Pitcairn Islands in the World
Pitcairn Islands - Introduction 2023
top of pageBackground:
Polynesians were the first inhabitants of the Pitcairn Islands, but the islands were uninhabited by the time they were discovered by Europeans in 1606. Pitcairn Island was rediscovered by British explorer Philip CARTERET in 1767, although he incorrectly plotted the coordinates. In 1789, Fletcher CHRISTIAN led a mutiny on the HMS Bounty and after several months of searching for Pitcairn Island, he landed on it with eight other mutineers and their Tahitian companions. They lived in isolation and evaded detection by English authorities until 1808, by which point only one man, 10 women, and 23 children remained. In 1831, with the population growing too big for the island - there were 87 people - the British attempted to move all the islanders to Tahiti, but they were soon returned to Pitcairn Island. The island became an official British colony in 1838 and in 1856, the British again determined that the population of 193 was too high and relocated all of the residents to Norfolk Island. Several families returned in 1858 and 1864, bringing the island’s population to 43, and almost all of the island’s current population are descendants of these returnees.
The UK annexed the nearby islands of Henderson, Oeno, and Ducie in 1902 and incorporated them into the Pitcairn Islands colony in 1938, although all three are uninhabited. The population peaked at 233 in 1937 as outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population. Only two children were born between 1986 and 2012, and in 2005, a couple became the first new outsiders to obtain citizenship in more than a century. (The current population is below 50.) Since 2013, the Pitcairn Islands has tried to attract new migrants but has had no applicants because it requires prospective migrants to front significant sums of money and prohibits employment during a two-year trial period, at which point the local council can deny long-term resident status.
The UK annexed the nearby islands of Henderson, Oeno, and Ducie in 1902 and incorporated them into the Pitcairn Islands colony in 1938, although all three are uninhabited. The population peaked at 233 in 1937 as outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population. Only two children were born between 1986 and 2012, and in 2005, a couple became the first new outsiders to obtain citizenship in more than a century. (The current population is below 50.) Since 2013, the Pitcairn Islands has tried to attract new migrants but has had no applicants because it requires prospective migrants to front significant sums of money and prohibits employment during a two-year trial period, at which point the local council can deny long-term resident status.
Pitcairn Islands - Geography 2023
top of pageLocation: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between Peru and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 06 W
Map reference: Oceania
Area
Total: 47 km²
Land: 47 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about three-tenths the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
Total: 0 km
Coastline: 51 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain: rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs
Elevation
Highest point: Palwala Valley Point on Big Ridge 347 m
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Natural resources: miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish; note - manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore
Land use
Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.)
Forest: 74.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 25.5% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²
Total water withdrawal
Total renewable water resources
Natural hazards: occasional tropical cyclones (especially November to March), but generally only heavy tropical storms; landslides
Geography
Note: Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore
Pitcairn Islands - People 2023
top of pagePopulation
Distribution: less than 50 inhabitants on Pitcairn Island, most reside near the village of Adamstown: 50 (2021 est.)
Growth rate: 0% (2014 est.)
Nationality
Noun: Pitcairn Islander(s)
Adjective: Pitcairn Islander
Ethnic groups: descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives
Languages: English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Religions: Seventh Day Adventist 100%
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: NA
Youth dependency ratio: NA
Elderly dependency ratio: NA
Potential support ratio: NA
Median age
Population growth rate: 0% (2014 est.)
Birth rate: NA
Death rate: NA
Net migration rate
Population distribution: less than 50 inhabitants on Pitcairn Island, most reside near the village of Adamstown
Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: NA
Major urban areas
Environment
Current issues: deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)
Air pollutants
Sex ratio: NA
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Infant mortality rate
Total: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
Total fertility rate: NA
Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA
Drinking water source
Improved urban: NA
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: NA
Unimproved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: NA
Current health expenditure: NA
Physicians density: NA
Hospital bed density
Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
NA
rural: NA
total: NA
rural: NA
total: NA
Unimproved urban:
NA
rural: NA
total: NA
rural: NA
total: NA
Hiv/Aids
Major infectious diseases
Obesity adult prevalence rate
Alcohol consumption
Tobacco use
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA
Education expenditures: NA
Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
Pitcairn Islands - Government 2023
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
Conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands
Etymology: named after Midshipman Robert PITCAIRN who first sighted the island in 1767
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital
Name: Adamstown
Geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W
Time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: named after John ADAMS (1767-1829), the last survivor of the Bounty mutineers who settled on Pitcairn Island in January 1790
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Dependent areas
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926); Discovery Day (Pitcairn Day), 2 July (1767)
Constitution
History: several previous; latest drafted 10 February 2010, presented 17 February 2010, effective 4 March 2010
Legal system: local island by-laws
International law organization participation
Citizenship: see United Kingdom
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands Iona THOMAS (since 9 August 2022)
Head of government: Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Charlene WARREN-PEU (since 1 January 2020)
Cabinet: none
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor directly elected by majority popular vote for a 3-year term; election last held on 9 November 2022 (next to be held not later than December 2025)
Election results: Simon YOUNG elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council; Island Council vote - NA; took office 1 January 2023
Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Island Council: 10 seats; (7 members - 5 councillors, the mayor, and the deputy mayor - elected by popular vote, and 3 ex officio non-voting members - the administrator, who serves as both the head of government and the representative of the governor of Pitcairn Islands, the governor, and the deputy governor; the councillors and the deputy mayor serve 2-year terms, the mayor serves a 3-year term, and the administrator is appointed by the governor for an indefinite term)
Elections: last held on 6 November 2019 (next scheduled election - NA)
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 5 independent; composition - men 4, women 6, percent of women 60%
Judicial branch
Highest courts: Pitcairn Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, 2 judges, and the Supreme Court chief justice, an ex-officio member); Pitcairn Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 2 judges); note - appeals beyond the Pitcairn Court of Appeal are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
Judge selection and term of office: all judges of both courts appointed by the governor of the Pitcairn Islands on the instructions of the Queen of England through the Secretary of State; all judges can serve until retirement, normally at age 75
Subordinate courts: Magistrate's Court
Political parties and leaders: none
International organization participation: SPC, UPU
Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of the UK)
From the us embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description
: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the green, yellow, and blue of the shield represents the island rising from the ocean; the green field features a yellow anchor surmounted by a bible (both the anchor and the bible were items found on the HMS Bounty); sitting on the crest is a Pitcairn Island wheelbarrow from which springs a flowering twig of miro (a local plant)National symbols
National anthem
Name: "We From Pitcairn Island"
Lyrics/music: unknown/Frederick M. LEHMAN
Note: serves as a local anthem; as an overseas territory of the UK, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)
National heritage
Pitcairn Islands - Economy 2023
top of pageEconomy overview: small South Pacific British island territorial economy; exports primarily postage stamps, handicraft goods, honey, and tinctures; extremely limited infrastructure; dependent upon UK and EU aid; recent border reopening post-COVID-19
Real gdp purchasing power parity: NA
Real gdp growth rate
Real gdp per capita
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture products: honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens; fish
Industries: postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey
Industrial production growth rate
Labor force: 15 (2004)
Labor force
Unemployment rate
Youth unemployment
Population below poverty line
Gini index
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget
Revenues: $746,000 (FY04/05)
Expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05)
Taxes and other revenues
Public debt
Revenue
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate consumer prices
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
Exports: NA
Partners: South Africa 24%, Canada 20%, Germany 13%, Czechia 8%, El Salvador 5%, Spain 5% (2019)
Commodities: leather footwear, gas turbine parts, precious metal ores, clothing and apparel, beef (2019)
Imports: NA
Partners: Ecuador 43%, New Zealand 29% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, refined petroleum, food preparation products, plastics, iron fasteners (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt external
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.416 (2017 est.)
1.4279 (2016 est.)
1.4279 (2015)
1.4279 (2014 est.)
1.2039 (2013 est.)
1.4279 (2016 est.)
1.4279 (2015)
1.4279 (2014 est.)
1.2039 (2013 est.)
Pitcairn Islands - Energy 2023
top of pageElectricity
Coal
Petroleum
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Natural gas
Carbon dioxide emissions
Energy consumption per capita
Pitcairn Islands - Communication 2023
top of pageTelephones
Telephone system
Broadcast media: satellite TV from Fiji-based Sky Pacific offering a wide range of international channels
Internet
Country code: .pn
Users total: 37 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 96.2% (2021 est.)
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Pitcairn Islands - Military 2023
top of pageMilitary expenditures
Military and security forces
Military service age and obligation
Space program
Terrorist groups
Pitcairn Islands - Transportation 2023
top of pageNational air transport system
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Airports
Heliports
Pipelines
Railways
Roadways
Waterways
Merchant marine
Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)
Pitcairn Islands - Transnational issues 2023
top of pageDisputes international: none identified
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Illicit drugs