Cook Islands People - 2024

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

7,939 (2023 est.)

note: the Cook Islands' Ministry of Finance & Economic Management estimated the resident population to have been 11,700 in September 2016

Nationality

noun: Cook Islander(s)

adjective: Cook Islander

Ethnic groups

Cook Island Maori 77.4%, part Cook Island Maori 8.3%, Fijian 3.6%, New Zealand Maori/European 3.4%, Filipino 2.9%, other Pacific Islands 1.8%, other 2.6% (2021 est.)

Languages

English (official) 86.4%, Cook Islands Maori (Rarotongan) (official) 76.2%, other 8.3% (2011 est.)

note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

Religions

Protestant 55% (Cook Islands Christian Church 43.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.3%, Assemblies of God 3.6%), Roman Catholic 16.7%, Church of Jesus Christ 3.9%, Jehovah's Witness 2.2%, Apostolic Church 2.1%, other 4.5%, none/unspecified 15.6% (2021 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 18.43% (male 766/female 697)

15-64 years: 66.23% (male 2,713/female 2,545)

65 years and over: 15.34% (2023 est.) (male 596/female 622)

2023 population pyramid:

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 53.8

youth dependency ratio: 36.4

elderly dependency ratio: 17.4

potential support ratio: 5.8 (2021)

Median age

total: 40.6 years (2023 est.)

male: 40.3 years

female: 41 years

Population growth rate

-2.31% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

12.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

-26.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

most of the population is found on the island of Rarotonga

Urbanization

urban population: 76.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female

total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 15.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 11.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 74.6 years

female: 80.3 years

Total fertility rate

2.04 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

N/A

Drinking water source

improved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure

3.2% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

1.41 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 99.1% of population

unimproved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 0.9% of population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

55.9% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 12.97 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 3.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 2.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 7.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 24% (2020 est.)

male: 27.7% (2020 est.)

female: 20.3% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

N/A

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

42.6% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

4.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 14 years (2012)

NOTE: The information regarding Cook Islands on this page is re-published from the 2024 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cook Islands 2024 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cook Islands 2024 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.