Nauru Population
Nauru had an estimated population of 12,025 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 216th 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 +0.65% a year.
Nauru at a glance
How Nauru's population is changing
Nauru's population is growing: +0.65% a year, which works out to about +78 people per year, or +0 a day. Births (24.6 per 1,000) and deaths (7.6 per 1,000) alone would give +1.70% a year; net migration removes about 122 people a year (−1.01%). Roughly one in every 683,195 people on Earth lives in Nauru.
Population of Nauru since 1960
In 1960, Nauru had 4,607 people. By 2025 that was 12,025 — 2.6× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 46%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4,607 | — |
| 1970 | 6,710 | +45.6% |
| 1980 | 7,649 | +14.0% |
| 1990 | 9,622 | +25.8% |
| 2000 | 10,168 | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 10,043 | −1.2% |
| 2020 | 11,643 | +15.9% |
| 2025 | 12,025 | +3.3% |
Nauru from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Nauru at about 1,834 people in 1800; the UN estimates 12,052 in 2025 (7× 1800) and projects 20,684 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 72% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,834 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 1,882 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 1,921 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 3,424 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 10,187 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 12,052 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 15,779 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 18,997 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 20,684 | 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.
How Nauru compares
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Nauru | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #214 |  Saint Martin | 24,941 | +107% | compare → |
| #215 |  Palau | 17,663 | +47% | compare → |
| #217 |  Tuvalu | 9,492 | −21% | compare → |
Compare Nauru with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Nauru
Nearest countries
Nauru has no land border. Closest by distance:
Kiribati 136,488 · 11.4× the population · compare
Marshall Islands 36,282 · 3.0× the population · compare
Solomon Islands 838,645 · 69.7× the population · compare
Micronesia 113,683 · 9.5× the population · compare
In its region
Nauru is the 36th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.0% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings featuring Nauru
- Smallest countries and territories by population #2
- Most densely populated countries #17
- Most urbanised countries #12
World population history · The world when you were born · Nauru 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.