Background: The first humans settled in New Caledonia around 1600 B.C. The Lapita were skilled navigators, and evidence of their pottery around the Pacific has served as a guide for understanding human expansion in the region. Successive waves of migrants from other islands in Melanesia intermarried with the Lapita, giving rise to the Kanak ethnic group considered indigenous to New Caledonia. British explorer James COOK was the first European to visit New Caledonia in 1774, giving it the Latin name for Scotland. Missionaries first landed in New Caledonia in 1840. In 1853, France annexed New Caledonia to preclude any British attempt to claim the island. France declared it a penal colony in 1864 and sent more than 20,000 prisoners to New Caledonia in the ensuing three decades. Nickel was discovered in 1864, and French prisoners were directed to mine it. France brought in indentured servants and enslaved labor from elsewhere in Southeast Asia to work the mines, blocking Kanaks from accessing the most profitable part of the local economy. In 1878, High Chief ATAI led a rebellion against French rule. The Kanaks were relegated to reservations, leading to periodic smaller uprisings and culminating in a large revolt in 1917 that colonial authorities brutally suppressed. During World War II, New Caledonia became an important base for Allied troops, and the US moved its South Pacific headquarters to the island in 1942. Following the war, France made New Caledonia an overseas territory and granted French citizenship to all inhabitants in 1953, thereby permitting the Kanaks to move off the reservations. The Kanak nationalist movement began in the 1950s, but most voters chose to remain a territory in an independence referendum in 1958. The European population of New Caledonia boomed in the 1970s with a renewed focus on nickel mining, reigniting Kanak nationalism. Key Kanak leaders were assassinated in the early 1980s, leading to escalating violence and dozens of fatalities. The Matignon Accords of 1988 provided for a 10-year transition period. The Noumea Accord of 1998 transferred increasing governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia over a 20-year period and provided for three independence referenda. In the first held in 2018, voters rejected independence by 57% to 43%; in the second held in 2020, voters rejected independence 53% to 47%. In the third referendum held in 2021, voters rejected independence 96% to 4%; however, a boycott by key Kanak groups spurred challenges about the legitimacy of the vote. Pro-independence parties subsequently won a majority in the New Caledonian Government for the first time. France and New Caledonia officials remain in talks about the status of the territory.

Area
Total: 18,575 km²
Land: 18,275 km²
Water: 300 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 2,254 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Terrain: coastal plains with interior mountains

Elevation
Highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 10.1% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 0.3% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 9.5% (2023 est.)
Forest: 48.8% (2023 est.)
Other: 41.1% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 100 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: cyclones, most frequent from November to March
Volcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active

Geography
Note: consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyauté, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls

Population
Total: 304,167 (2024 est.)
Male: 151,389
Female: 152,778
Distribution: most of the populace lives in the southern part of the main island, in and around the capital of Noumea
Growth rate: 1.14% (2024 est.)

Languages: French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Major-language sample(s): ; The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Christian 85.2%, Muslim 2.8%, other 1.6%, unaffiliated 10.4% (2020 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 20.7% (male 32,238/female 30,858)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 104,825/female 103,349)
65 years and over: 10.8% (2024 est.) (male 14,326/female 18,571)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 46.1 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 30.3 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 15.8 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 6.3 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 34.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 33.5 years
Female: 35.1 years

Population growth rate: 1.14% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 13.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: most of the populace lives in the southern part of the main island, in and around the capital of Noumea

Urbanization
Urban population: 72.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 198,000 NOUMEA (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 5.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 75.4 years
Female: 83.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.83 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Total: 0.5% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.2% (2024 est.); 11% (2023 est.); 10.8% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Noumea
Geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E
Time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: established in 1854 as Port-de-France, the settlement was renamed Noumea in 1866 to avoid confusion with Fort-de-France in Martinique; the name Noumea may come from the local name of the peninsula the city was founded on

Administrative divisions: 3 provinces; Province Iles (Islands Province), Province Nord (North Province), and Province Sud (South Province)

Legal system: civil law system based on French civil law

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by High Commissioner Jacques BILLANT (since 3 May 2025)
Head of government: President of the Government Alcide PONGA (since 8 January 2025)
Cabinet: Cabinet elected from and by the Territorial Congress
Election/appointment process: French president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of New Caledonia elected by Territorial Congress for a 5-year term (no term limits)
Most recent election date: 8 July 2021
2025: Alcide PONGA (The Republicans) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes
2021: Louis MAPOU (PALIKA) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes
Expected date of next election: 2026

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Territorial Congress (Congrès du Territoire)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 54 (indirectly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 5/12/2019
Parties elected and seats per party: Future With Confidence 18, UNI 9, UC 9, CE 7, FLNKS 6, Oceanic Awakening 3, PT 1, LKS 1 (Anti-Independence 28, Pro-Independence 26)
Expected date of next election: December 2025
Note 1: the Customary Senate is the assembly of the various traditional councils of the Kanaks, the indigenous population; it rules on laws affecting Kanaks
Note 2: New Caledonia indirectly elects 2 members to the French Senate and directly elects 2 members to the French National Assembly (see France entry for electoral details)

Flag description: the country has two official flags with equal status, the flag of France and the Kanak (ethnic Melanesian) flag; the latter consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a large yellow disk shifted slightly to the left side is edged in black and displays a black fleche faîtière symbol, a native rooftop adornment

National anthem
Title: 'La Marseillaise' (The Song of Marseille)
Lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
History: official anthem, as a self-governing French territory

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (natural); note - excerpted from the France entry
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 3.5% (2022 est.); -2.1% (2021 est.); -2.4% (2020 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 3.5% (2022 est.); -2.1% (2021 est.); -2.4% (2020 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 65.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 23.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 27.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 21% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -37.9% (2017 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.8% (2019 est.)
Industry: 22.3% (2019 est.)
Services: 65.2% (2019 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: nickel mining and smelting

Labor force: 130,800 (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 11.2% (2024 est.); 11% (2023 est.); 10.8% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.2% (2024 est.); 11% (2023 est.); 10.8% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $1.995 billion (2015 est.)
Expenditures: $1.993 billion (2015 est.)

Exports: $1.92 billion (2021 est.); $1.8 billion (2020 est.); $1.79 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: iron alloys, nickel, nickel ore, processed crustaceans, shellfish (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $2.26 billion (2021 est.); $2.1 billion (2020 est.); $2.48 billion (2019 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: refined petroleum, coal, cars, aircraft, packaged medicine (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 1.174 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 3.02 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 66.3 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 73.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 7.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 1.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 17.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 1.026 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 1.001 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 2 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 17,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 4.887 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 2.312 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 2.575 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 46,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 260,000 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 90 (2021 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 82% (2017 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 56,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (2022 est.)

Airports: 21 (2025)

Heliports: 2 (2025)

Merchant marine
Total: 23 (2023)
By type: general cargo 5, oil tanker 1, other 17