Marshall Islands Population
Marshall Islands had an estimated population of 36,282 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 212nd most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.00% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −3.43% a year.
Marshall Islands at a glance
How Marshall Islands's population is changing
Marshall Islands's population is shrinking: −3.43% a year, which works out to about −1,244 people per year, or −3 a day. Births (20.1 per 1,000) and deaths (7.1 per 1,000) alone would give +1.30% a year; net migration removes about 1,698 people a year (−4.68%). Roughly one in every 226,433 people on Earth lives in Marshall Islands.
Population of Marshall Islands since 1960
In 1960, Marshall Islands had 14,703 people. By 2025 that was 36,282 — 2.5× larger. The population peaked in 2010 at 52,044 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1961 and 1971, when the population rose by 54%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 14,703 | — |
| 1970 | 22,530 | +53.2% |
| 1980 | 30,774 | +36.6% |
| 1990 | 44,629 | +45.0% |
| 2000 | 50,706 | +13.6% |
| 2010 | 52,044 | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 42,706 | −17.9% |
| 2025 | 36,282 | −15.0% |
Marshall Islands from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Marshall Islands at about 5,828 people in 1800; the UN estimates 36,305 in 2025 (6× 1800) and projects 23,826 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 1930 at 75,486 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 5,828 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 11,618 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 39,597 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 13,019 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 50,721 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 36,305 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 25,212 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 24,550 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 23,826 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Marshall Islands
2 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 36,282. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Majuro | 25,400 | GeoNames settlement | 70.01% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 2 | Ebaye | 15,000 | GeoNames settlement | 41.34% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Marshall Islands compares
Marshall Islands has almost the same population as Monaco (38,341).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Marshall Islands | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #210 |  British Virgin Islands | 39,732 | +10% | compare → |
| #211 |  Monaco | 38,341 | +6% | compare → |
| #213 |  San Marino | 34,109 | −6% | compare → |
| #214 |  Saint Martin | 24,941 | −31% | compare → |
Compare Marshall Islands with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Marshall Islands
Nearest countries
Marshall Islands has no land border. Closest by distance:
Kiribati 136,488 · 3.8× the population · compare
Nauru 12,025 · 3.0× smaller · compare
Micronesia 113,683 · 3.1× the population · compare
Tuvalu 9,492 · 3.8× smaller · compare
In its region
Marshall Islands is the 34th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.0% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings featuring Marshall Islands
Cities
Majuro, Ebaye — all Marshall Islands's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Marshall Islands when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.