The
demographics of the
Marshall Islands include data such as
population density ,
ethnicity , health of the populace, economic status,
religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Historical population figures for the Marshall Islands are unknown. In 1862, the population of the islands was estimated at 10,000.
[1] In 1960, the population of the Islands was approximately 15,000. The 2021
census counted 42,418 residents, 23,156 of whom (approximately 54.6%) lived on
Majuro . 77.7% of the population lived in an urban setting on Majuro or
Ebeye , the country's the secondary urban center. The Marshallese census figures exclude Marshall Islanders who have relocated elsewhere; the
Compact of Free Association allows them to freely relocate to the
United States and obtain work there.
[2] Approximately 4,300 Marshall Islands natives relocated to
Springdale, Arkansas in the United States; this figure represents the largest population concentration of Marshall Islands natives outside their island home.
[3]
Most residents of the Marshall Islands are Marshallese.
Marshallese people are of
Micronesian origin and are believed to have migrated from
Asia to the Marshall Islands several thousand years ago. A minority of the Marshallese have
Asian and
European ancestry such as
Japanese and
German . A Majority have
Polynesian and
Melanesian ancestry. About one-half of the nation's population lives in Majuro and Ebeye Atolls.
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
The official languages of the Marshall Islands are
English and
Marshallese . Both languages are widely spoken.
[8]
Vital statistics
Historical population Year
Pop.
±% 1920 9,800 — 1925 9,644 −1.6% 1930 10,412 +8.0% 1935 10,446 +0.3% 1958 13,928 +33.3% 1967 18,925 +35.9% 1973 24,135 +27.5% 1980 30,873 +27.9% 1988 43,380 +40.5% 1999 50,840 +17.2% 2011 53,158 +4.6% 2021 42,418 −20.2% Source:
[9]
[10]
Births and deaths
[9]
Year
Population
Live births
Deaths
Natural increase
Crude birth rate
Crude death rate
Rate of natural increase
TFR
1988
43,380
7.2
1999
50,840
2,125
41.8
4.9
36.9
5.71
2011
53,158
1,641
32.1
3.7
28.4
4.05
2021
[11]
42,418
704
3.4
Structure of the population
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 03.IV.2011):
[12]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
27 243
25 915
53 158
100
0–4
4 031
3 712
7 743
14.57
5–9
3 622
3 395
7 017
13.20
10–14
3 385
3 108
6 493
12.21
15–19
2 417
2 314
4 731
8.90
20–24
2 614
2 480
5 094
9.58
25–29
2 159
2 245
4 404
8.28
30–34
1 876
1 913
3 789
7.13
35–39
1 587
1 549
3 136
5.90
40–44
1 419
1 366
2 785
5.24
45–49
1 189
1 155
2 344
4.41
50–54
1 016
914
1 930
3.63
55–59
815
761
1 576
2.96
60–64
583
469
1 052
1.98
65-69
284
283
522
0.98
70-74
131
119
250
0.47
75-79
62
90
152
0.29
80-84
31
61
92
0.17
85-89
21
15
36
0.07
90-94
1
11
12
0.02
95+
0
0
0
0
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
11 038
10 215
21 253
39.98
15–64
15 675
15 121
30 796
57.93
65+
530
579
1 109
2.09
Religion
Major religious groups in the Republic of the Marshall Islands include the
United Church of Christ – Congregational in the Marshall Islands , with 51.5% of the population; the
Assemblies of God , 24.2%; the
Roman
Catholic Church , 8.4%;
[13] and
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 8.3%.
[13] Also represented are Bukot Nan Jesus (also known as Assembly of God Part Two), 2.2%;
Baptist , 1.0%;
Seventh-day Adventists , 0.9%;
Full Gospel , 0.7%; and the
Baháʼí Faith , 0.6%.
[13] Persons
without any religious affiliation account for a very small percentage of the population.
[13]
Islam is also present through
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community which is based in
Majuro , with the first mosque opening in the capital in September 2012.
[14]
Health
During the
Castle Bravo test of the first deployable thermonuclear bomb, a miscalculation resulted in the explosion being over twice as large as predicted. The
nuclear fallout spread eastward onto the inhabited
Rongelap and
Rongerik Atolls . These islands were not evacuated before the explosion. Many of the Marshall Islands natives have since suffered from radiation burns and radioactive dusting, suffering the similar fates as the Japanese fishermen aboard the
Daigo Fukuryū Maru , but have received little, if any, compensation from the
federal government .
[15]
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
Demographics of the Marshall Islands, Data of
FAO , year 2005; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
Source:
[16]
Population
Age structure
0–14 years: 32.94% (male 13,090/female 12,575)
15–24 years: 19.09% (male 7,568/female 7,308)
25–54 years: 37.35% (male 14,834/female 14,270)
55–64 years: 5.92% (male 2,269/female 2,341)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,805/female 1,857) (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
Birth rate
22.8 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Death rate
4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Net migration rate
-4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0–14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15–24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25–54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
55–64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
Total: 17.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 19.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.1 years
Male: 71.8 years
Female: 76.5 years (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.86 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Nationality
Marshallese (singular and plural)
Marshallese (adjective)
Ethnic groups
Marshallese : 92.1%
Mixed Marshallese: 5.9%
Other: 2% (2006)
Religions
Languages
References
^ Beardslee, L. A. (1870).
Marshall Group. North Pacific Islands . Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 33. Retrieved November 1, 2015 .
^ Gwynne, S.C. (5 October 2012).
"Paradise With an Asterisk" . Outside Magazine . Archived from
the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013 .
^ Schulte, Bret (July 4, 2012).
"For Pacific Islanders, Hopes and Troubles in Arkansas" .
The New York Times .
^ David Vine (2006).
"The Impoverishment of Displacement: Models for Documenting Human Rights Abuses and the People of Diego Garcia" (PDF) . Human Rights Brief . 13 (2): 21–24. Archived from
the original (PDF) on February 8, 2013.
^ David Vine (January 7, 2004)
Exile in the Indian Ocean: Documenting the Injuries of Involuntary Displacement . Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies. Web.gc.cuny.edu. Retrieved on September 11, 2013.
^ David Vine (2006).
Empire's Footprint: Expulsion and the United States Military Base on Diego Garcia . p. 268.
ISBN
978-0-542-85100-1 . [
permanent dead link ]
^ David Vine (2011).
Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia (New in Paper) . Princeton University Press. p. 67.
ISBN
978-0-691-14983-7 .
^
"The World Factbook: Marshall Islands" . cia.gov . Central Intelligence Agency. June 28, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017 . Look under tab for "People and Society".
^
a
b
"Republic of the Marshall Islands 2011 Census Report" .
Pacific Community (SPC): Statistics for Development Division. 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2023 .
^
"Republic of the Marshall Islands 2021 Census Report, Volume 1: Basic Tables and Administrative Report" .
Pacific Community (SPC): Statistics for Development Division. May 30, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023 .
^
"REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS 2021 CENSUS REPORT VOLUME 1: BASIC TABLES AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT" (PDF) . Archived from
the original (PDF) on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-04 .
^
"UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics" . unstats.un.org .
^
a
b
c
d
International Religious Freedom Report 2009: Marshall Islands . United States
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain .
^
First Mosque opens up in Marshall Islands
Archived October 16, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine by Radio New Zealand International, September 21, 2012
^ Renee Lewis (28 July 2015).
"Bikinians evacuated 'for good of mankind' endure lengthy nuclear fallout" .
^
"Australia-Oceania :: MARSHALL ISLANDS" . CIA The World Factbook.
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