2020 Edition

Background

The first humans settled in New Caledonia around 1600 B.C. The Lapita were skilled navigators, and evidence of their pottery around the Pacific has served as a guide for understanding human expansion in the region. Successive waves of migrants from other islands in Melanesia intermarried with the Lapita, giving rise to the Kanak ethnic group considered indigenous to New Caledonia. British explorer James COOK was the first European to visit New Caledonia in 1774, giving it the Latin name for Scotland. Missionaries first landed in New Caledonia in 1840. In 1853, France annexed New Caledonia to preclude any British attempt to claim the island. France declared it a penal colony in 1864 and sent more than 20,000 prisoners to New Caledonia in the ensuing three decades. Nickel was discovered in 1864, and French prisoners were directed to mine it. France brought in indentured servants and enslaved labor from elsewhere in Southeast Asia to work the mines, blocking Kanaks from accessing the most profitable part of the local economy. In 1878, High Chief ATAI led a rebellion against French rule. The Kanaks were relegated to reservations, leading to periodic smaller uprisings and culminating in a large revolt in 1917 that colonial authorities brutally suppressed. During World War II, New Caledonia became an important base for Allied troops, and the US moved its South Pacific headquarters to the island in 1942. Following the war, France made New Caledonia an overseas territory and granted French citizenship to all inhabitants in 1953, thereby permitting the Kanaks to move off the reservations. The Kanak nationalist movement began in the 1950s, but most voters chose to remain a territory in an independence referendum in 1958. The European population of New Caledonia boomed in the 1970s with a renewed focus on nickel mining, reigniting Kanak nationalism. Key Kanak leaders were assassinated in the early 1980s, leading to escalating violence and dozens of fatalities. The Matignon Accords of 1988 provided for a 10-year transition period. The Noumea Accord of 1998 transferred increasing governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia over a 20-year period and provided for three independence referenda. In the first held in 2018, voters rejected independence by 57% to 43%; in the second held in 2020, voters rejected independence 53% to 47%. In the third referendum held in 2021, voters rejected independence 96% to 4%; however, a boycott by key Kanak groups spurred challenges about the legitimacy of the vote. Pro-independence parties subsequently won a majority in the New Caledonian Government for the first time. France and New Caledonia officials remain in talks about the status of the territory.

Area

land

18,275 sq km

total

18,575 sq km

water

300 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Coastline

2,254 km

Elevation

highest point

Mont Panie 1,628 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

21 30 S, 165 30 E

Geography - note

consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyauté, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls

Irrigated land

100 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

10.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.3% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 9.5% (2023 est.)

forest

48.8% (2023 est.)

other

41.1% (2023 est.)

Location

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

cyclones, most frequent from November to March volcanism: Matthew and Hunter Islands are historically active

Natural resources

nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper

Population distribution

most of the populace lives in the southern part of the main island, in and around the capital of Noumea

Terrain

coastal plains with interior mountains

Age structure

0-14 years

20.7% (male 32,238/female 30,858)

15-64 years

68.4% (male 104,825/female 103,349)

65 years and over

10.8% (2024 est.) (male 14,326/female 18,571)

Birth rate

13.6 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

46.4% (2019 est.)

Death rate

6 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

16.2 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

6.2 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

46.2 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

30 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 99.5% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0.5% of population (2022 est.)

Ethnic groups

Kanak 39.1%, European 27.1%, Wallisian, Futunian 8.2%, Tahitian 2.1%, Indonesian 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu 1%, Vietnamese 0.9%, other 17.7%, unspecified 2.5% (2014 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.89 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

male

5.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

4.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

Languages

French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

major-language sample(s)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

83.3 years

male

75.4 years

total population

79.3 years (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

198,000 NOUMEA (capital) (2018)

Median age

female

35.1 years

male

33.5 years

total

34.6 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

New Caledonian

noun

New Caledonian(s)

Net migration rate

3.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Physician density

0.24 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Population

female

154,576

male

153,036

total

307,612 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

1.11% (2025 est.)

Religions

Christian 85.2%, Muslim 2.8%, other 1.6%, unaffiliated 10.4% (2020 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total

total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.77 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

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

Total fertility rate

1.82 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

72.7% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

3 provinces; Province Iles (Islands Province), Province Nord (North Province), and Province Sud (South Province)

Capital

etymology

established in 1854 as Port-de-France, the settlement was renamed Noumea in 1866 to avoid confusion with Fort-de-France in Martinique; the name Noumea may come from the local name of the peninsula the city was founded on

geographic coordinates

22 16 S, 166 27 E

name

Noumea

time difference

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see France

Constitution

amendment process

French constitution amendment procedures apply

history

4 October 1958 (French Constitution with changes as reflected in the Noumea Accord of 5 May 1998)

Country name

conventional long form

Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies

conventional short form

New Caledonia

etymology

the name came from British explorer Captain James COOK in 1774 and uses the Latin name for Scotland, Caledonia

local long form

Territoire des Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances

local short form

Nouvelle-Calédonie

Dependency status

special collectivity of France

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of France)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet elected from and by the Territorial Congress

chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by High Commissioner Jacques BILLANT (since 3 May 2025)

election results

2025: Alcide PONGA (The Republicans) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes 2021: Louis MAPOU (PALIKA) elected president by Territorial Congress with 6 of 11 votes

election/appointment process

French president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of New Caledonia elected by Territorial Congress for a 5-year term (no term limits)

expected date of next election

2026

head of government

President of the Government Alcide PONGA (since 8 January 2025)

most recent election date

8 July 2021

Flag

description: the country has two official flags with equal status, the flag of France and the Kanak (ethnic Melanesian) flag; the latter consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a large yellow disk shifted slightly to the left side is edged in black and displays a black fleche faîtière symbol, a native rooftop adornment

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Congress); an overseas collectivity of France

Independence

none (overseas collectivity of France)

International organization participation

ITUC (NGOs), PIF, SPC, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WMO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; organized into civil, commercial, social, and pre-trial investigation chambers; court bench normally includes the court president and 2 counselors); Administrative Court (number of judges NA)

judge selection and term of office

judge appointment and tenure based on France's judicial system

subordinate courts

Courts of First Instance include: civil, juvenile, commercial, labor, police, criminal, assizes, and also a pre-trial investigation chamber; Joint Commerce Tribunal; administrative courts

Legal system

civil law system based on French civil law

Legislative branch

electoral system

proportional representation

expected date of next election

December 2025

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

Territorial Congress (Congrès du Territoire)

most recent election date

5/12/2019

number of seats

54 (indirectly elected)

parties elected and seats per party

Future With Confidence 18, UNI 9, UC 9, CE 7, FLNKS 6, Oceanic Awakening 3, PT 1, LKS 1 (Anti-Independence 28, Pro-Independence 26)

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

National anthem(s)

history

official anthem, as a self-governing French territory

lyrics/music

Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle

title

"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)

National coat of arms

the emblem features two symbols of the local Kanak people: the flèche faîtière, which is a common rooftop adornment on houses, and the nautilus shell, which represents the sea; the third part of the emblem is a stylized representation of a New Caledonia pine tree

National color(s)

grey, red

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Lagoons of New Caledonia

total World Heritage Sites

1 (natural); note - excerpted from the France entry

National holiday

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

National symbol(s)

flèche faîtière (native rooftop adornment), kagu bird

Political parties

Caledonia Together or CE  Caledonian Union or UC  Future With Confidence or AEC  Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (alliance includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM)  Labor Party or PT  National Union for Independence or UNI  Oceanian Awakening  Party of Kanak Liberation or PALIKA  Socialist Kanak Liberation or LKS  The Republicans (formerly The Rally or UMP) 

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

coconuts, vegetables, fruits, pork, beef, maize, eggs, bananas, yams, oranges (2023)

Budget

expenditures

$1.993 billion (2015 est.)

revenues

$1.995 billion (2015 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2014

-$1.3 billion (2014 est.)

Current account balance 2015

-$1.119 billion (2015 est.)

Current account balance 2016

-$654.237 million (2016 est.)

Economic overview

upper-middle-income French Pacific territorial economy; enormous nickel reserves; ongoing French independence negotiations; large Chinese nickel exporter; luxury eco-tourism destination; large French aid recipient; high cost-of-living; lingering wealth disparities

Exchange rates

Currency

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

104.711 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

100.88 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

113.474 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

110.347 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

110.306 (2024 est.)

Exports

Exports 2019

$1.79 billion (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$1.8 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$1.92 billion (2021 est.)

Exports - commodities

iron alloys, nickel, nickel ore, processed crustaceans, shellfish (2023)

Exports - partners

China 75%, Japan 9%, Taiwan 3%, India 3%, France 2% (2023)

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

21% (2017 est.)

government consumption

23.5% (2017 est.)

household consumption

65.6% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-37.9% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

27.9% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

-0.1% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

1.8% (2019 est.)

industry

22.3% (2019 est.)

services

65.2% (2019 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$10.129 billion (2024 est.)

Imports

Imports 2019

$2.48 billion (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$2.1 billion (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$2.26 billion (2021 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, coal, cars, aircraft, packaged medicine (2023)

Imports - partners

France 36%, Singapore 16%, Australia 15%, China 6%, NZ 3% (2023)

Industries

nickel mining and smelting

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

-0.5% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

0.6% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

3.7% (2022 est.)

Labor force

130,800 (2024 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2014

6.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$8.678 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$8.642 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$8.469 billion (2024 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-2.4% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

-2.1% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

3.5% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2022

$33,500 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$35,000 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2024

$34,600 (2024 est.)

Remittances

Remittances 2020

6.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Remittances 2021

6.2% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

6.5% of GDP (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2022

10.8% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

11% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

11.2% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

35.7% (2024 est.)

male

30.2% (2024 est.)

total

32.7% (2024 est.)

Coal

consumption

1.026 million metric tons (2023 est.)

imports

1.001 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves

2 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

consumption

3.02 billion kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

1.174 million kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

66.3 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

73.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectricity

17.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar

7.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

wind

1.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

17,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

19 (2022 est.)

total

56,000 (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

the publicly owned French Overseas Network (RFO), which operates in France's overseas departments and territories, broadcasts over the RFO Nouvelle-Calédonie TV and radio stations; a small number of privately owned radio stations also broadcast

Internet country code

.nc

Internet users

percent of population

82% (2017 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

16 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

46,000 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

92 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

263,000 (2022 est.)

Airports

21 (2025)

Heliports

2 (2025)

Merchant marine

by type

general cargo 5, oil tanker 1, other 17

total

23 (2023)

Ports

key ports

Baie de Kouaoua, Baie Ugue, Noumea

large

0

medium

0

ports with oil terminals

1

small

1

total ports

3 (2024)

very small

2

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France, which bases land, air, and naval forces on New Caledonia (Forces Armées de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, FANC)

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Territorial Directorate of the National Police of New Caledonia (DTPN), Gendarmerie of New Caledonia (2025)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

2.312 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

2.575 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

4.887 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

preservation of coral reefs; prevention of invasive species; limiting erosion caused by nickel mining and forest fires

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

108,200 tons (2024 est.)