2023 Edition

Background

Nauru was inhabited by Micronesian and Polynesian settlers by around 1000 B.C., and the island was divided into 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, British sea captain John FEARN became the first European to spot the island. By 1830, European whalers used Nauru as a supply stop, trading firearms for food. In 1878, a civil war erupted on the island, reducing 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. Germany banned alcohol, confiscated weapons, instituted strict dress codes, and brought in Christian missionaries to convert the population. Phosphate was discovered in 1900 and 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. Recognizing the phosphate stocks would eventually be depleted, in 1962, 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, Nauru subsequently began a series of unwise investments in buildings, musical theater, and an airline. Nauru sued Australia in 1989 for the damage caused by mining when Australia administered the island. Widespread phosphate mining officially ceased in 2006.Nauru went nearly bankrupt by 2000 and tried to rebrand itself as an offshore banking haven, although it ended that practice in 2005. 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 was closed in 2008 but reopened in 2012. The number of refugees has steadily declined since 2014, and the remaining people were moved to a hotel in Brisbane, Australia, in 2020, effectively shuttering the NRPC. In a bid for Russian humanitarian aid, in 2008, Nauru recognized the breakaway Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Area

land

21 sq km

total

21 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

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

Coastline

30 km

Elevation

highest point

Command Ridge 70 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

0 32 S, 166 55 E

Geography - note

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 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

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

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.)

Location

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

phosphates, fish

Population distribution

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

Terrain

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

Age structure

0-14 years

30.13% (male 1,513/female 1,455)

15-64 years

65.65% (male 3,183/female 3,285)

65 years and over

4.22% (2023 est.) (male 141/female 275)

Alcohol consumption per capita

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.)

Birth rate

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

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current health expenditure

12% of GDP (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

59.6% (2023 est.)

Death rate

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

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

3.9

potential support ratio

25.8 (2021)

total dependency ratio

69.9

youth dependency ratio

66

Drinking water source

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

Education expenditures

7.1% of GDP (2021) NA

Ethnic groups

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

Gross reproduction rate

1.27 (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

5.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male

9.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total

7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Languages

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%

Life expectancy at birth

female

72 years

male

64.7 years

total population

68.3 years (2023 est.)

Literacy

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Median age

female

28.2 years

male

26.9 years

total

27.5 years (2023 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Nauruan

noun

Nauruan(s)

Net migration rate

-10.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

61% (2016)

Physicians density

1.35 physicians/1,000 population (2015)

Population

9,852 (2023 est.)

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

0.42% (2023 est.)

Religions

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.)

Sanitation facility access

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

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.51 male(s)/female

at birth

1.04 male(s)/female

total population

0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Tobacco use

female

49.1% (2020 est.)

male

47.8% (2020 est.)

total

48.5% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.58 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

name

no official capital; government offices in the Yaren District

time difference

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

Constitution

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

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

800 2nd Avenue, Third Floor, New York, NY 10017

chief of mission

Ambassador Margo DEIYE (since 1 December 2021)

email address and website

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

FAX

[1] (212) 937-0079

telephone

[1] (212) 937-0074

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of Parliament

chief of state

President David ADEANG (since 30 October 2023); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

election results

David ADEAGN elected president over Delvin THOMA, 10-8

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)

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary republic

Independence

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

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

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, percent of women 10.5%

elections

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

National anthem

lyrics/music

Margaret HENDRIE/Laurence Henry HICKS

name

"Nauru Bwiema" (Song of Nauru)

note

note: adopted 1968

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

National symbol(s)

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

Political parties and leaders

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

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Agricultural products

coconuts, tropical fruit, vegetables, pork, eggs, pig offals, pig fat, poultry, papayas, cabbages

Budget

expenditures

$158 million (2020 est.)

revenues

$195 million (2020 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-9.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Current account balance

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.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2004

$33.3 million (2004 est.)

Economic overview

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

Exchange rates

Currency

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2017

1.305 (2017 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

1.338 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

1.439 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

1.453 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

1.331 (2021 est.)

Exports

Exports 2019

$32.7 million (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$105 million (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$187 million (2021 est.)

note

note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - commodities

skipjack, calcium phosphates, tuna, cars, delivery trucks, low-voltage protection equipment (2021)

Exports - partners

Thailand 49%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Philippines 11%, South Korea 8%, India 7% (2021)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

11.2% (2016 est.)

government consumption

37.6% (2016 est.)

household consumption

98% (2016 est.)

imports of goods and services

-89.1% (2016 est.)

investment in fixed capital

42.2% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

6.1% (2009 est.)

industry

33% (2009 est.)

services

60.8% (2009 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$114 million (2017 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2012

34.8 (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA

lowest 10%

NA

Imports

Imports 2019

$88.2 million (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$103 million (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$94.2 million (2021 est.)

note

note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, tugboats, cigarettes, cars, construction vehicles (2021)

Imports - partners

Australia 36%, Taiwan 16%, China 12%, Japan 12%, Nigeria 7% (2021)

Industrial production growth rate

NA

Industries

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016

8.2% (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

5.1% (2017 est.)

Labor force

NA

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

Public debt 2016

65% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

62% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$145.591 million (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$147.265 million (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$149.474 million (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2019

0% (2019 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2020

1.15% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

1.5% (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2019

$12,000 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$12,000 (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$11,900 (2021 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

Taxes and other revenues

48.24% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2004

90% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate 2011

23% (2011 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

37.5%

male

20.9%

total

26.6% (2013)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

66,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

66,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

production

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

34.216 million kWh (2019 est.)

exports

0 kWh (2020 est.)

imports

0 kWh (2020 est.)

installed generating capacity

15,000 kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

0 kWh (2019 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2021)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

production

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

0 barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

400 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

449 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

10 (2010 est.)

total

950 (2010 est.)

Broadcast media

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)

Internet country code

.nr

Internet users

percent of population

84% (2021 est.)

total

10,920 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

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)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2018 est.) 0

total subscriptions

(2018 est.) 0

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

80 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

10,000 (2021 est.)

Airports

1 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

1

note

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

C2

Merchant marine

by type

other 3

total

3 (2022)

National air transport system

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)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Nauru

Roadways

paved

24 km (2002)

total

30 km (2002)

unpaved

6 km (2002)

Military - note

Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of AustraliaNauru 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 (2023)

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; the police force, under the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, maintains internal security and, as necessary, external security (2023)

Disputes - international

none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons

stateless persons

140 (2022)

Air pollutants

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.)

Climate

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

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

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

Land use

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.)

Revenue from forest resources

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

6,192 tons (2016 est.)