Map of Nauru | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background:


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Location: 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
Country comparison total: 0 km

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
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.)
Agricultural land forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 80% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 10 million m³ (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 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


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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
Total: 9,892
Male: 4,856
Female: 5,036 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 0.39% (2024 est.)

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
0-14 years: 29.6% (male 1,493/female 1,433)
15-64 years: 66% (male 3,220/female 3,309)
65 years and over: 4.4% (2024 est.) (male 143/female 294)

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: 27.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 27.3 years
Female: 28.4 years

Population growth rate: 0.39% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 20.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: -9.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 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: 0.49 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 9.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.6 years (2024 est.)
Male: 65 years
Female: 72.3 years

Total fertility rate: 2.55 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Unimproved urban: 0% of population

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 96.3% of population
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 96.3% of population
Unimproved urban: 3.7% of population
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved 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


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Country 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)
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: 2023: David ADEAGN elected president over Delvin THOMA, 10-8; 2022: Russ KUN elected president unopposed
Note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

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)
Elections results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 19; composition - men 17, women 2, percentage 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 note: also Permanent Representative to the UN
In the us chancery: 801 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: nauru@onecommonwealth.org; [link]
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 wealth

National 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


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Economy 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: $145.958 million (2023 est.); $144.937 million (2022 est.); $141.875 million (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 0.7% (2023 est.); 2.16% (2022 est.); 7.75% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $11,400 (2023 est.); $11,400 (2022 est.); $11,300 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Exports of goods and services: 54.7% (2022 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -113.2% (2022 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: coconuts, tropical fruits, pork, eggs, pork offal, pork fat, chicken, papayas, vegetables, cabbages (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Industries: phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (2014 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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: $199.728 million (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $132.607 million (2020 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 44.35% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt: 62% of GDP (2017 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.1% (2017 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.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Exports: $187 million (2021 est.); $105 million (2020 est.); $32.7 million (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Thailand 59%, Philippines 19%, South Korea 11%, India 3%, Japan 2% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: fish, phosphates, gas turbines, power equipment, plastic products (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $94.2 million (2021 est.); $103 million (2020 est.); $88.2 million (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Australia 47%, China 17%, Japan 12%, Fiji 11%, NZ 2% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: ships, plastic products, other foods, cars, refined petroleum (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 19,000 kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 37.48 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.922 million kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 88.9% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources solar: 11.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 500 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions: 70,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 70,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: (2019)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: (2018 est.) 0
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2014 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 10,000 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military 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 (2024)

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National 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 (2024)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 30 km
Paved: 24 km
Unpaved: 6 km (2002)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 140 (2022)

Illicit drugs