Cook Islands People - 2024

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)