Demographics of the Cook Islands

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Demographic features of the population of the Cook Islands include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Contents

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1902 8,213    
1906 8,518+0.92%
1911 8,655+0.32%
1916 8,805+0.34%
1921 9,459+1.44%
1926 10,082+1.28%
1936 12,246+1.96%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1945 14,088+1.57%
1951 15,079+1.14%
1961 18,378+2.00%
1966 19,247+0.93%
1971 21,322+2.07%
1976 18,126−3.20%
1981 17,743−0.43%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1986 17,614−0.15%
1996 19,103+0.81%
2001 18,027−1.15%
2006 19,342+1.42%
2011 17,794−1.65%
2016 17,434−0.41%
2021 15,040−2.91%
Source: [1] [2]

A census is carried out every five years in the Cook Islands. The last census was carried out in 2021 and the next census will be carried out in 2026. [3]

Structure of the population

Population pyramid 2011 [4]
%MalesAgeFemales%
0
 
85+
 
0
0.5
 
80–84
 
0.6
0.7
 
75–79
 
0.9
1.4
 
70–74
 
1.4
1.9
 
65–69
 
1.8
2.2
 
60–64
 
2
2.4
 
55–59
 
2.4
3
 
50–54
 
3
3.6
 
45–49
 
3.6
3.4
 
40–44
 
3.6
3.1
 
35–39
 
3.6
3
 
30–34
 
3.3
3.3
 
25–29
 
3.8
3.4
 
20–24
 
3.7
4.3
 
15–19
 
4.1
4.5
 
10–14
 
4
4.3
 
5–9
 
4.3
4.5
 
0–4
 
4.4
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 01.XII.2016): [5]
Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total8 5208 91417 434100
0–47106441 3547.77
5–97687331 5018.61
10–147456961 4418.27
15–196647111 3757.89
20–245696561 2257.03
25–295416121 1536.61
30–344825951 0776.18
35–394835331 0165.83
40–445206011 1216.43
45–495996251 2247.02
50–546426231 2657.26
55–595215221 0435.98
60–644054298344.78
65–693633336963.99
70–742342484822.76
75–791591943532.02
80+1151592741.57
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–142 2232 0734 29624.64
15–645 4265 90711 33365.01
65+8719341 80510.35

Vital statistics

Births and deaths [6]
YearPopulationLive birthsDeathsNatural increaseCrude birth rateCrude death rateRate of natural increaseTFR
[ clarification needed ]
200118,0273158822721.02.9
200227997182
200329492202
200415,16929799198
200527591184
200619,3422798519419.16.512.62.5
200729684212
200826156205
20092556718812.63.29.4
20102869219412.13.98.2
201119,3002627219017.84.912.92.6
201219,50025910415518.17.310.8
201318,60025611514118.28.210.0
201418,6002041139115.08.36.7
201518,40020510210315.57.77.8
201619,3002428715520.57.413.12.5
201719,5002229312914.26.08.3
201820,20023212111114.67.67.0
201920,20022510512013.16.17.0
202016,50024812512313.97.06.9
202118,2002021228011.67.04.6
202220,50023311711613.26.66.6
202321,6002121654712.69.82.8

Ethnic groups

The indigenous Polynesian people of the Cook Islands are known as Cook Islands Māori. These include speakers of Cook Islands Māori language, closely related to Tahitian and New Zealand Māori, who form the majority of the population and inhabit the southern islands including Rarotonga; [7] and also the people of Pukapuka, who speak a language more closely related to Samoan. [8] Cook Islanders of non-indigenous descent include other Pacific Island peoples, Papa'a (Europeans), and those of Asian descent.

Ethnic group [9] PopulationPercent
of total
Change
[ clarification needed ]
20062016
Cook Islands Māori 14,93811,57578.20Decrease2.svg
Part Cook Islands Māori1,0451,1287.62Increase2.svg
Other1,3492,09914.18Increase2.svg
Cook Islands, Total17,33214,802100Decrease2.svg

Religion

Religion in the Cook Islands (CIA World Factbook)

   Catholicism (17%)
   Mormonism (4.4%)
  Other (8%)
   No religion (5.6%)
  No response (2.2%)

The Cook Islands are majority-Protestant, with almost half the population being members of the Reformed Cook Islands Christian Church. Other Protestant denominations include Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies of God and the Apostolic Church (the latter two being Pentecostal denominations). The largest non-Protestant denomination are Roman Catholics, followed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Non-Christian faiths including Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam have small followings primarily by non-indigenous inhabitants. [10]

Languages

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References

  1. "Census 2016 - Cook Islands - Ministry of Finance and Economic Management". www.mfem.gov.ck. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  2. "Census 2021 Updates". Archived from the original on 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  3. "Census - Cook Islands - Ministry of Finance and Economic Management". Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  4. "Demographic Yearbook, Population by age, sex and urban/rural residence: latest available year, 2005–2014" (PDF). UN Data. United Nations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-12-23. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  5. "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  6. "VITAL STATISTICS AND POPULATION ESTIMATES MARCH QUARTER 2020" (PDF). MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-11-16. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  7. "Te Reo Maori Act 2003". Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  8. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2020). "Pukapuka". Glottolog 4.2.1 . Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  9. "2016 Cook Islands census" (PDF). mfem.gov.ck. 2016. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  10. Crocombe, R. G. (1990). Voluntary Service and Development in the Cook Islands. University of the South Pacific. p. 8. ISBN   9789820200234.