December Quarter 2024:
Key Facts:
Population Estimates
- Total Population: Estimated at 27,000, an increase of 7.14% from September 2024 (25,200).
- Resident Population: Estimated at 16,800, a decrease of 2.89% from June 2024 (17,300).
Births
- 51 registered births (25 males, 26 females), increase 27.5% from 40 in September 2024.
- Births by age group:
- 30-34 years: 16 births (highest).
- 25-29 years: 12 births.
- Under 20, 20–24 years and 35–39 years: 7 births each.
- 40-44 years: 2 births.
- No births for over 45 years
- Weekly average: approximately 4 births
Deaths
- 30 recorded deaths, up 21.05% from 38 in September 2024.
- Weekly average: 3 deaths.
- No infant deaths were recorded.
Crude Rates
- Birth Rate: 3.0 per 1,000 population.
- Death Rate: 1.8 per 1,000 population.
Marriages
- 139 marriages officiated, up 9.45% from September 2024.
- Non-residents: 89.21% of all weddings.
Annual Change
Growth in the Total Population Estimate
- Shows a significant decline from 2019 to 2020, followed by a steady increase from 2021 to 2024.
- The total population surpassed 25,000 in 2024, reaching its highest level within the observed period.
Resident Population
- The resident population remained relatively stable, with minor fluctuations between 16,000 and 18,000.
- This indicates that while some residents may have left, the core resident population has remained fairly constant.
Divergence Between Total and Resident Populations
The graph indicates a positive trend in population recovery post-pandemic. Since 2021, the gap between total and resident population estimates has increased significantly, likely due to a rise in non-residents such as tourists and temporary workers.
Quarterly reports on the total and resident population estimate based on vital events of births and deaths plus net migration data derived from tourism and migration data. The Population and Vital Statistics reports on the total and resident population estimate base on
vital events of birth and deaths plus net migration data derived from tourism migration data. It also reports on the various vital events such as births, deaths and marriages that occurred within the Cook Islands. Some basic demographic crude rates such as for birth, death and infants deaths including natural increase are also reported in this release.
More information on Vital Statistics
Computation of Crude Rates: Crude rates of birth, death and infant deaths are also compiled from these events. The formula used in computing these rates are as follows:
Crude Birth Rate = Total Births/Total Resident Population * 1,000
Crude Death Rate = Total Deaths/Total Resident Population * 1,000
Infant Mortality Rates = Total Infant Deaths/Total Births * 1,000
Natural Increase = Total Crude Birth Rate less Crude Death Rate
Data Source: The records of births, deaths and marriages are compiled from the records of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registrar of the Ministry of Justice. For the islands outside of Rarotonga, the Deputy Registrars of each island furnish these records directly to the Cook Islands Statistics Office.
Coverage: All records are compiled for each inhabited island of the Cook Islands and are tabulated by the date of occurrence of the event. Often these records are reconciled with the Ministry of Health (MOH) records to ascertain the compilation of one indicator for the Cook Islands.