Nauru

By 1000 B.C., Micronesian and Polynesian settlers inhabited Nauru, and the island was divided among 12 clans. Nauru developed in relative isolation because ocean currents made landfall on the island difficult. As a result, the Nauruan language does not clearly resemble any other in the Pacific region. In 1798, a British mariner was the first European to spot the island and by 1830, European whalers used Nauru as a supply stop, trading firearms for food. A civil war in 1878 reduced the population by more than a third. Germany forcibly annexed Nauru in 1888 by holding the 12 chiefs under house arrest until they consented to the annexation. Phosphate was discovered in 1900 and was heavily mined, although Nauru and Nauruans earned about one tenth of one percent of the profits from the phosphate deposits.Australian forces captured Nauru from Germany during World War I, and in 1919, it was placed under a joint Australian-British-New Zealand mandate with Australian administration. Japan occupied Nauru during World War II and used its residents as forced labor elsewhere in the Pacific while destroying much of the infrastructure on the island. After the war, Nauru became a UN trust territory under Australian administration. In 1962, recognizing the phosphate stocks would eventually be depleted, Australian Prime Minister Robert MENZIES offered to resettle all Nauruans on Curtis Island in Queensland, but Nauruans rejected that plan and opted for independence, which was achieved in 1968. In 1970, Nauru purchased the phosphate mining assets, and income from the mines made Nauruans among the richest people in the world. However, a series of unwise investments led to near bankruptcy by 2000. Widespread phosphate mining officially ceased in 2006. Widespread phosphate mining officially ceased in 2006.As its economy faltered, Nauru briefly tried to rebrand itself as an offshore banking haven, an initiative that ended in 2005, and the country made a successful bid for Russian humanitarian aid in 2008. In 2001, Australia set up the Nauru Regional Processing Center (NRPC), an offshore refugee detention facility, paying Nauru per person at the center. The NRPC closed in 2008 but reopened in 2012. The number of refugees steadily declined after 2014, and in 2020, the remaining people were moved to Brisbane, Australia, effectively shuttering the NRPC. However, in 2023, Australia agreed to continue funding NRPC for two years and restarted settling asylees in the center in mid-2023. The center remains the Government of Nauru’s largest source of income.

land

21 sq km

total

21 sq km

water

0 sq km

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)

30 km

highest point

Command Ridge 70 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

0 32 S, 166 55 E

Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world behind the Holy See (Vatican City) and Monaco; it is the smallest country in the Pacific Ocean, the smallest country outside Europe, the world's smallest island country, and the world's smallest independent republic; situated just 53 km south of the Equator, Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean -- the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia

0 sq km (2022)

total

0 km

agricultural land

20% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 20% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest

0% (2018 est.)

other

80% (2018 est.)

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands

Oceania

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

periodic droughts

phosphates, fish

extensive phosphate mining made approximately 90% of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast

sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center

0-14 years

29.6% (male 1,493/female 1,433)

15-64 years

66% (male 3,220/female 3,309)

65 years and over

4.4% (2024 est.) (male 143/female 294)

beer

0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

2.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

20.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

NA

NA

12% of GDP (2020)

59.6% (2023 est.)

6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

3.9

potential support ratio

25.8 (2021)

total dependency ratio

69.9

youth dependency ratio

66

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

7.1% of GDP (2021) NA

Nauruan 94.6%, I-Kiribati 2.2%, Fijian 1.3%, other 1.9% (2021 est.)

1.25 (2024 est.)

female

5.3 deaths/1,000 live births

male

9.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Nauruan 93% (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English 2% (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes), other 5% (includes Gilbertese 2% and Chinese 2%) (2011 est.)

note

note: data represent main language spoken at home; Nauruan is spoken by 95% of the population, English by 66%, and other languages by 12%

female

72.3 years

male

65 years

total population

68.6 years (2024 est.)

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

female

28.4 years

male

27.3 years

total

27.8 years (2024 est.)

adjective

Nauruan

noun

Nauruan(s)

-9.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

61% (2016)

1.35 physicians/1,000 population (2015)

female

5,036 (2024 est.)

male

4,856

total

9,892

extensive phosphate mining made approximately 90% of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast

0.39% (2024 est.)

Protestant 60.4% (Nauruan Congregational 34.7%, Assemblies of God 11.6%, Pacific Light House 6.3%, Nauru Independent 3.6%, Baptist 1.5, Seventh Day Adventist 1.3%, other Protestant 1.4%), Roman Catholic 33.9%, other 4.2%, none 1.3%, no answer 0.3% (2021 est.)

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 96.3% of population

improved: urban

urban: 96.3% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 3.7% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 3.7% of population

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.49 male(s)/female

at birth

1.04 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

49.1% (2020 est.)

male

47.8% (2020 est.)

total

48.5% (2020 est.)

2.55 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

0.18% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baitsi, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren

name

no official capital; government offices in the Yaren District

time difference

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

amendments

proposed by Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament; amendments to constitutional articles, such as the republican form of government, protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, the structure and authorities of the executive and legislative branches, also require two-thirds majority of votes in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2018

history

effective 29 January 1968

conventional long form

Republic of Nauru

conventional short form

Nauru

etymology

the island name may derive from the Nauruan word "anaoero" meaning "I go to the beach"

former

Pleasant Island

local long form

Republic of Nauru

local short form

Nauru

embassy

the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru

chancery

801 2nd Avenue, Third Floor, New York, NY 10017

chief of mission

Ambassador Margo DEIYE (since 1 December 2021); note - also Permanent Representative to the UN

email address and website

nauru@onecommonwealth.orghttps://www.un.int/nauru/

FAX

[1] (212) 937-0079

telephone

[1] (212) 937-0074

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of Parliament

chief of state

President David ADEANG (since 30 October 2023)

election results

2023: David ADEAGN elected president over Delvin THOMA, 10-82022: Russ KUN elected president unopposed

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by Parliament for 3-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 30 October 2023 (next to be held in 2026)

head of government

President David ADEANG (since 30 October 2023)

note

note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

blue with a narrow, horizontal, gold stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; blue stands for the Pacific Ocean, the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the gold stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru; the star's white color represents phosphate, the basis of the island's wealth

parliamentary republic

31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICCt, IFAD, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

highest court(s)

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several justices); note - in late 2017, the Nauruan Government revoked the 1976 High Court Appeals Act, which had allowed appeals beyond the Nauruan Supreme Court, and in early 2018, the government formed its own appeals court

judge selection and term of office

judges appointed by the president to serve until age 65

subordinate courts

District Court, Family Court

mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and customary law

description

unicameral Parliament (19 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by majority vote using the "Dowdall" counting system by which voters rank candidates on their ballots; members serve 3-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 19; composition - men 17, women 2, percentage women 10.5%

elections

last held on 24 September 2022 (next to be held in September 2025)

lyrics/music

Margaret HENDRIE/Laurence Henry HICKS

name

"Nauru Bwiema" (Song of Nauru)

note

note: adopted 1968

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

frigatebird, calophyllum flower; national colors: blue, yellow, white

Nauru does not have formal political parties; alliances within the government are often formed based on extended family ties

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

coconuts, tropical fruits, pork, eggs, pork offal, pork fat, chicken, papayas, vegetables, cabbages (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$132.607 million (2020 est.)

note

note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$199.728 million (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2016

$2.079 million (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

$14.11 million (2017 est.)

Current account balance 2018

$8.406 million (2018 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

upper-middle-income Pacific island country; phosphate resource exhaustion made island interior uninhabitable; licenses fishing rights; houses Australia’s Regional Processing Centre; former tax haven; largely dependent on foreign subsidies

Currency

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

1.439 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

1.453 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

1.331 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

1.442 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

1.505 (2023 est.)

Exports 2019

$32.7 million (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$105 million (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$187 million (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

fish, phosphates, gas turbines, power equipment, plastic products (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Thailand 59%, Philippines 19%, South Korea 11%, India 3%, Japan 2% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

54.7% (2022 est.)

imports of goods and services

-113.2% (2022 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

$154.128 million (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Imports 2019

$88.2 million (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$103 million (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$94.2 million (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

ships, plastic products, other foods, cars, refined petroleum (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Australia 47%, China 17%, Japan 12%, Fiji 11%, NZ 2% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

4.3% (2014 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

8.2% (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

5.1% (2017 est.)

Public debt 2017

62% of GDP (2017 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$141.875 million (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$144.937 million (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$145.958 million (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

7.75% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

2.16% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

0.7% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$11,300 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$11,400 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$11,400 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2016

12.04% of GDP (2016 est.)

Remittances 2017

9.46% of GDP (2017 est.)

Remittances 2018

4.99% of GDP (2018 est.)

44.35% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

from petroleum and other liquids

70,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

70,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

37.48 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

19,000 kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

3.922 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

88.9% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

11.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

500 bbl/day (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

10 (2010 est.)

total

950 (2010 est.)

1 government-owned TV station broadcasting programs from New Zealand sent via satellite or on videotape; 1 government-owned radio station, broadcasting on AM and FM, utilizes Australian and British programs (2019)

.nr

percent of population

84% (2021 est.)

total

10,920 (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line 0 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscribership approximately 80 per 100 (2021)

general assessment

relies on satellite as the primary Internet service provider and mobile operator; internet connectivity on the island is very limited and unstable due to the vulnerability of the network infrastructure to bad weather and limited network coverage, with several blind spots (2022)

international

country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2014 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions

(2018 est.) 0

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

80 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

10,000 (2021 est.)

1 (2024)

C2

by type

other 6

total

6 (2023)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

7.94 million (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

45,457 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

5

number of registered air carriers

1 (2020)

key ports

Nauru

ports with oil terminals

1

total ports

1 (2024)

very small

1

paved

24 km

total

30 km

unpaved

6 km (2002)

under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia; under the terms of a security deal signed in December 2024, Nauru pledged to seek Australia’s agreement before it signed any bilateral accords on maritime security, defense, and policing, and would receive economic assistance from Australia, including to its police forceNauru has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Nauru's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2024)

no regular military forces; the police force, under the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, maintains internal security and, as necessary, external security (2024)

stateless persons

140 (2022)

carbon dioxide emissions

0.05 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

0.01 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

7.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)

limited natural freshwater resources, roof storage tanks that collect rainwater and desalination plants provide water; a century of intensive phosphate mining beginning in 1906 left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland; cadmium residue, phosphate dust, and other contaminants have caused air and water pollution with negative impacts on health; climate change has brought on rising sea levels and inland water shortages

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

agricultural land

20% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 20% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest

0% (2018 est.)

other

80% (2018 est.)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

0.18% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

6,192 tons (2016 est.)