Cook Islands: population and ages
Cook Islands: 13,000 people on 1 January 2026.
The population peaked in 1971 at 20,900 and is now 39% below that peak.
Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.
- Population, 1 January 2026
- 13,035
- Median age
- 38.1
- Births in 2026
- 133
- Deaths in 2026
- 133
- Life expectancy at birth
- 75.8
- Children per woman
- 1.97
- Under 15
- 23.0%
- 65 and over
- 15.1%
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Population over time
In mid-1950 there were 14,700 people, so the population is now -13% smaller.
Ages
The median age is 38.1, which is 7.0 years above the world’s 31.1.
23% of the people are under 15 and 15% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).
The UN projects that people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 15 from 2030.
Women have 2.0 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 6.8 in 1950.
Life expectancy at birth is 75.8 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 37.9.
Births, deaths and the years ahead
For mid-2050 the UN projects 9,340 people, 27% fewer than now, with a median age of 38.3.
Development and urbanisation
In 2025, 0% of the people lived in cities, 0% in towns and semi-dense areas and 100% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 0% in cities.
Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.
Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
Longevity, ageing and the future
By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 75.3 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 18.5 more years for women and 14.8 for men.
On 1 January 2026, there are 24.3 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 52.3.
For 2100 the UN projects a population of 7,900, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 2,940 to 97,200.
Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.
Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
International migrants
In mid-2024, 4,940 international migrants lived here, 36.0% of the population.
In mid-2024, 20,300 people from here lived in other countries.
| Country | People |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | 2,718 |
| Fiji | 568 |
| Australia | 459 |
| French Polynesia | 138 |
| United Kingdom | 106 |
| Country | People |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | 12,403 |
| Australia | 7,834 |
| Fiji | 33 |
| Dominican Republic | 9 |
| Samoa | 9 |
Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
Cities
No city of 50,000 people or more here by the UN definition.
Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
Data and sources
| Year | Population (1 July) | Median age | Births | Deaths | Life expectancy | Children per woman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 14,693 | 15.7 | 659 | 357 | 37.9 | 6.79 |
| 1960 | 17,662 | 15.1 | 819 | 240 | 52.7 | 7.27 |
| 1970 | 20,488 | 13.3 | 771 | 147 | 63.6 | 6.30 |
| 1980 | 17,696 | 15.8 | 494 | 122 | 65.9 | 4.35 |
| 1990 | 17,120 | 19.8 | 531 | 130 | 66.5 | 3.97 |
| 2000 | 15,854 | 23.5 | 371 | 113 | 69.8 | 3.11 |
| 2010 | 16,976 | 28.7 | 302 | 122 | 72.8 | 2.45 |
| 2020 | 15,643 | 32.7 | 229 | 136 | 74.5 | 2.11 |
| 2030 | 11,496 | 41.5 | 108 | 136 | 76.6 | 1.91 |
| 2040 | 9,947 | 38.7 | 136 | 142 | 78.4 | 1.83 |
| 2050 | 9,337 | 38.3 | 110 | 144 | 80.1 | 1.78 |
| 2060 | 8,645 | 42.4 | 71 | 130 | 81.7 | 1.74 |
| 2070 | 8,191 | 44.3 | 91 | 105 | 83.1 | 1.72 |
| 2080 | 8,161 | 42.5 | 85 | 82 | 84.4 | 1.71 |
| 2090 | 8,139 | 46.2 | 63 | 76 | 85.5 | 1.69 |
| 2100 | 7,904 | 49.7 | 69 | 108 | 86.7 | 1.68 |
Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.
The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.
Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).