Marshall Islands People - 2024

Population

80,966 (2023 est.)

Nationality

noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)

adjective: Marshallese

Ethnic groups

Marshallese 95.6%, Filipino 1.1%, other 3.3% (2021 est.)

Languages

Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 est.)

major-language sample(s):

Bok eo an Lalin kin Melele ko Rejimwe ej jikin ebōk melele ko raurōk. (Marshallese)

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English (official), widely spoken as a second language

Religions

Protestant 79.3% (United Church of Christ 47.9%, Assembly of God 14.1%, Full Gospel 5%, Bukot Nan Jesus 3%, Salvation Army 2.3%, Reformed Congressional Church 2.2%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.7%, New Beginning Church 1.4%, other Protestant 1.6%), Roman Catholic 9.3%, Church of Jesus Christ 5.7%, Jehovah's Witness 1.3%, other 3.3%, none 1.1% (2021 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 30.65% (male 12,642/female 12,175)

15-64 years: 63.83% (male 26,237/female 25,445)

65 years and over: 5.52% (2023 est.) (male 2,187/female 2,280)

2023 population pyramid:

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 59.9

youth dependency ratio: 53

elderly dependency ratio: 6.8

potential support ratio: 14.7 (2021)

Median age

total: 25.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 25 years

female: 25.2 years

Population growth rate

1.3% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Net migration rate

-4.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

most people live in urban clusters found on many of the country's islands; more than two-thirds of the population lives on the atolls of Majuro and Ebeye

Urbanization

urban population: 78.9% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

31,000 MAJURO (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

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

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 21.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male: 24.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 17.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 72.7 years

female: 77.3 years

Total fertility rate

2.72 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.33 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

N/A

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 99.8% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0.2% of population

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure

13% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

0.42 physicians/1,000 population (2012)

Hospital bed density

2.7 beds/1,000 population

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 96.6% of population

rural: 65.4% of population

total: 89.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 3.4% of population

rural: 34.6% of population

total: 10.3% of population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

52.9% (2016)

Tobacco use

total: 28.5% (2020 est.)

male: 48.7% (2020 est.)

female: 8.3% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

11.9% (2017)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

68.3% (2022 est.)

Education expenditures

13.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.3%

male: 98.3%

female: 98.2% (2011)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 10 years (2019)