Demographics of the Marshall Islands

The demographics of the Marshall Islands include data such as population density, ethnicity, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Historical population figures for the Marshall Islands are unknown. In 1862, the population of the islands was estimated at 10,000. In 1960, the population of the Islands was approximately 15,000. The 2021 census counted 42,418 residents, 23,156 of whom (approximately 54.6%) lived on Majuro. 77.7% of the population lived in an urban setting on Majuro or Ebeye, the country's the secondary urban center. The Marshallese census figures exclude Marshall Islanders who have relocated elsewhere; the Compact of Free Association allows them to freely relocate to the United States and obtain work there. Approximately 4,300 Marshall Islands natives relocated to Springdale, Arkansas in the United States; this figure represents the largest population concentration of Marshall Islands natives outside their island home.

Most residents of the Marshall Islands are Marshallese. Marshallese people are of Micronesian origin and are believed to have migrated from Asia to the Marshall Islands several thousand years ago. A minority of the Marshallese have Asian and European ancestry such as Japanese and German. A Majority have Polynesian and Melanesian ancestry. About one-half of the nation's population lives in Majuro and Ebeye Atolls.

The official languages of the Marshall Islands are English and Marshallese. Both languages are widely spoken.

Vital statistics
Births and deaths

Structure of the population
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 03.IV.2011):

Religion
Major religious groups in the Republic of the Marshall Islands include the United Church of Christ – Congregational in the Marshall Islands, with 51.5% of the population; the Assemblies of God, 24.2%; the Roman Catholic Church, 8.4%; and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 8.3%. Also represented are Bukot Nan Jesus (also known as Assembly of God Part Two), 2.2%; Baptist, 1.0%; Seventh-day Adventists, 0.9%; Full Gospel, 0.7%; and the Baháʼí Faith, 0.6%. Persons without any religious affiliation account for a very small percentage of the population. Islam is also present through Ahmadiyya Muslim Community which is based in Majuro, with the first mosque opening in the capital in September 2012.

Health
During the Castle Bravo test of the first deployable thermonuclear bomb, a miscalculation resulted in the explosion being over twice as large as predicted. The nuclear fallout spread eastward onto the inhabited Rongelap and Rongerik Atolls. These islands were not evacuated before the explosion. Many of the Marshall Islands natives have since suffered from radiation burns and radioactive dusting, suffering the similar fates as the Japanese fishermen aboard the Daigo Fukuryū Maru, but have received little, if any, compensation from the federal government.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
Source:

Population

 * 77,917 (July 2020 est.)

Age structure

 * 0–14 years: 32.94% (male 13,090/female 12,575)
 * 15–24 years: 19.09% (male 7,568/female 7,308)
 * 25–54 years: 37.35% (male 14,834/female 14,270)
 * 55–64 years: 5.92% (male 2,269/female 2,341)
 * 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,805/female 1,857) (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

 * 1.43% (2020 est.)

Birth rate

 * 22.8 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Death rate

 * 4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

 * -4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Sex ratio

 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * 0–14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
 * 15–24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
 * 25–54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
 * 55–64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
 * 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
 * Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

 * Total: 17.4 deaths/1,000 live births
 * Male: 19.7 deaths/1,000 live births
 * Female: 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

 * Total population: 74.1 years
 * Male: 71.8 years
 * Female: 76.5 years (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

 * 2.86 children born/woman (2020 est.)

Nationality

 * Marshallese (singular and plural)
 * Marshallese (adjective)

Ethnic groups

 * Marshallese: 92.1%
 * Mixed Marshallese: 5.9%
 * Other: 2% (2006)

Religions

 * Protestant: 80.5%
 * United Church: 47%
 * Assembly of God: 16.2%
 * Roman Catholic: 8.5%
 * Bukot nan Jesus: 5.4%
 * Latter-day Saints: 1.4%
 * Other Christian: 10.5%
 * Other: 1.2%
 * None: 1.1%

Languages

 * Marshallese (official): 98.2%
 * other languages 1.8%