The population of Tuvalu is predominately of
Polynesian ethnicity with approximately 5.6% of the population being
Micronesian.[1]Tuvaluans are ethnically related to the people of
Samoa and
Tonga. There is evidence for a dual genetic origin of Pacific Islanders in
Asia and
Melanesia, which results from an analysis of
Y chromosome (NRY) and
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers. There is also evidence of
Fiji playing a pivotal role in west-to-east expansion within Polynesia.[2] The pattern of settlement that is believed to have occurred is that the Polynesians spread out from the
Samoan Islands into the Tuvaluan atolls, with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone to migration into the
Polynesian Outlier communities in
Melanesia and
Micronesia.[3][4][5][6]
The vast majority of Tuvaluans belong to the
Church of Tuvalu, a
Protestant denomination. Their ancestors were converted by
Christian missionaries in the 19th century.
Infant mortality in Tuvalu was 25 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012, with an under-five mortality rate of 30 deaths per 1,000 live births. There has been a consistent decline in the under-five mortality rate since 1990.[7]
School attendance at school is 10 years for males and 11 years for
females (2001).[8] Adult literacy rate is 99.0% (2002).[9]
The net migration rate is estimated at -6.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.).[8] The threat of
global warming in Tuvalu is not a dominant motivation for migration as Tuvaluans appear to prefer to continue living on the islands for reasons of lifestyle, culture and identity.[13]
The Census Monograph on Migration, Urbanization and Youth provides an analysis of the 2012 census and reported:[14]
A total of 1,200 people were listed as being out of country on census night with more males (57%) than females (43%) absent. The high proportion in range of ages 15 to 29 years (37% of the total) is described as indicating the significance of overseas tertiary education and training.[14]
The 2013 Census of
New Zealand reported 3,537 Tuvaluans, an increase of 80% from the 1,965 reported in the 2001 census. In the 2013 census, only about 40% (1,419) had been born in Tuvalu. The high proportion of Tuvaluans who are New Zealand born illustrates the significance of New Zealand as a long term destination for Tuvaluan migrants.[14][15]
The Tuvaluan community in
Australia is recorded in the 2011 Australian Census as 228 people who put Tuvaluan as their first response to a question on ‘ancestry’; of these 120 were born in Tuvalu.[14]
The islands of
Nanumea,
Nanumaga,
Nukufetau and
Niutao had relatively high net migration losses, with most being internal migrants to
Funafuti.
Vaitupu had the largest net migration gain, although this is attributed to the location of
Motufoua Secondary School on Vaitupu and the movement of students from the other islands.[14]
Structure of the population
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 12.XI.2017) (Data of mini-census taken in 2017.): [16]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
5 488
5 157
10 645
100
0–4
625
535
1 160
10.90
5–9
628
577
1 205
11.32
10–14
541
471
1 012
9.51
15–19
499
454
953
8.95
20–24
482
458
940
8.83
25–29
502
421
923
8.67
30–34
407
362
769
7.22
35–39
299
280
579
5.44
40–44
242
212
454
4.26
45–49
251
227
478
4.49
50–54
314
272
586
5.50
55–59
257
322
579
5.44
60–64
198
223
421
3.95
65-69
117
155
272
2.56
70-74
64
72
136
1.28
75-79
41
58
99
0.93
80-84
16
43
59
0.55
85+
5
15
20
0.19
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
1 794
1 583
3 377
31.72
15–64
3 451
3 231
6 682
62.77
65+
243
343
586
5.50
Population
The following demographic statistics are from the
CIA World Factbook,[8] unless otherwise indicated.