Sub-region · UN WPP 2024

Melanesia population

Melanesia population now

13,437,298

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 12,724,064

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 13.3839 million
Median age: 24.3
Aged 65+: 4.1%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024

male female projection · one cell = 5,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

AGG · 1950–2100 · in brief

Melanesia in numbers

The UN counts 12,724,064 people in Melanesia in mid-2023, and 0.16% of the world's people. That is 6.1 times its 1950 population of 2.1 million. It covers 5 countries and areas; the largest are Papua New Guinea (81.7%), Fiji (7.3%), the Solomon Islands (6.3%), Vanuatu (2.5%) and New Caledonia (2.3%).

In the UN's medium projection it is still growing in 2100, when it reaches 22.6 million.

Births outnumber deaths in every year from 1950 to 2100, estimates and projection alike.

The median age was 18.3 in 1950 and 23.7 in 2023; the projection has 38.5 in 2100. 3.8% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 16.3% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2097 at 14.7 million.

Population, mid-2023: 12,724,064
Share of the world, 2023: 0.16%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +1.76% · +220,237 people
Births, 2023: 306,632
Deaths, 2023: 83,807
Net migration, 2023: −1,955
Children per woman, 2023: 3.06
Median age, 2023: 23.7 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 66.9 years
Population, mid-1950: 2,076,908
Projected, mid-2050: 18,090,930
Projected, mid-2100: 22,581,827

AGG · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

estimates | projections05 m10 m15 m20 m25 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection (medium). Each column is the population on 1 January of one year; the paper rules cut it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Melanesia, 1950–2100

Melanesia: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	2,055,319	93,170	43,978	5.88	41.1
1951	estimate	2,098,497	96,311	50,155	5.91	38.2
1952	estimate	2,139,685	99,163	43,821	5.92	42.4
1953	estimate	2,191,082	102,143	43,761	5.95	43.1
1954	estimate	2,246,435	104,432	43,614	5.95	43.8
1955	estimate	2,305,022	107,338	43,374	5.98	44.5
1956	estimate	2,367,519	109,957	43,432	6.01	45.1
1957	estimate	2,433,550	112,677	43,028	6.04	45.9
1958	estimate	2,502,500	115,238	42,883	6.07	46.6
1959	estimate	2,573,824	117,478	42,857	6.09	47.2
1960	estimate	2,646,813	120,070	42,711	6.13	47.9
1961	estimate	2,721,056	122,456	42,596	6.16	48.5
1962	estimate	2,789,403	125,624	42,871	6.20	48.9
1963	estimate	2,858,923	127,817	42,125	6.19	49.8
1964	estimate	2,927,977	130,339	41,831	6.20	50.4
1965	estimate	2,997,133	132,547	41,427	6.17	51.1
1966	estimate	3,068,063	135,050	41,135	6.16	51.7
1967	estimate	3,142,065	137,147	40,850	6.13	52.3
1968	estimate	3,214,248	139,508	40,481	6.10	52.9
1969	estimate	3,289,435	141,948	40,292	6.07	53.4
1970	estimate	3,368,174	144,200	39,985	6.03	54.0
1971	estimate	3,449,823	146,236	39,876	5.98	54.4
1972	estimate	3,533,288	148,063	39,513	5.92	55.0
1973	estimate	3,617,550	149,023	39,385	5.86	55.4
1974	estimate	3,701,595	150,053	38,864	5.79	56.0
1975	estimate	3,786,226	151,700	38,685	5.75	56.5
1976	estimate	3,872,176	153,504	38,165	5.71	57.1
1977	estimate	3,958,893	155,101	37,867	5.64	57.7
1978	estimate	4,048,642	156,722	37,644	5.57	58.2
1979	estimate	4,139,735	158,147	37,830	5.49	58.5
1980	estimate	4,230,925	159,963	38,189	5.42	58.9
1981	estimate	4,323,274	162,578	38,437	5.36	59.2
1982	estimate	4,418,196	165,540	38,769	5.30	59.5
1983	estimate	4,515,689	169,256	39,076	5.26	59.8
1984	estimate	4,617,386	172,281	39,397	5.20	60.1
1985	estimate	4,722,148	175,115	39,719	5.13	60.4
1986	estimate	4,829,337	177,765	40,402	5.06	60.5
1987	estimate	4,935,780	180,627	40,838	5.00	60.8
1988	estimate	5,038,889	183,402	41,176	4.94	61.0
1989	estimate	5,143,312	186,010	41,536	4.89	61.3
1990	estimate	5,256,893	188,735	42,215	4.83	61.4
1991	estimate	5,394,607	191,137	42,878	4.78	61.6
1992	estimate	5,557,919	195,092	43,644	4.71	61.8
1993	estimate	5,733,943	199,912	44,706	4.65	62.0
1994	estimate	5,914,854	204,233	45,582	4.57	62.2
1995	estimate	6,100,311	208,731	46,632	4.50	62.4
1996	estimate	6,290,236	214,544	47,879	4.46	62.5
1997	estimate	6,487,974	220,191	49,084	4.42	62.7
1998	estimate	6,695,391	225,923	52,766	4.37	62.0
1999	estimate	6,904,764	231,910	51,929	4.32	62.9
2000	estimate	7,119,708	237,418	53,662	4.27	62.9
2001	estimate	7,335,933	243,174	55,358	4.22	62.9
2002	estimate	7,555,855	248,909	57,624	4.18	62.8
2003	estimate	7,779,790	254,141	59,194	4.13	62.9
2004	estimate	8,007,930	258,384	60,853	4.07	63.0
2005	estimate	8,239,232	263,085	62,528	4.02	63.1
2006	estimate	8,473,779	267,654	63,979	3.96	63.2
2007	estimate	8,712,519	272,020	65,468	3.91	63.4
2008	estimate	8,954,147	276,652	66,449	3.86	63.6
2009	estimate	9,197,676	280,324	67,657	3.80	63.9
2010	estimate	9,445,920	284,870	68,557	3.75	64.2
2011	estimate	9,707,559	288,808	69,479	3.69	64.5
2012	estimate	9,963,032	292,181	71,276	3.64	64.5
2013	estimate	10,217,831	295,747	71,881	3.59	64.9
2014	estimate	10,472,767	299,060	73,037	3.54	65.1
2015	estimate	10,726,028	300,954	74,159	3.48	65.3
2016	estimate	10,974,988	302,521	75,290	3.43	65.6
2017	estimate	11,222,555	303,453	76,385	3.37	65.8
2018	estimate	11,467,839	305,171	77,956	3.31	66.0
2019	estimate	11,711,349	305,867	79,392	3.26	66.2
2020	estimate	11,943,945	307,341	83,637	3.21	65.9
2021	estimate	12,172,538	307,454	90,780	3.16	65.0
2022	estimate	12,394,024	307,937	86,022	3.11	66.2
2023	estimate	12,613,630	306,632	83,807	3.06	66.9
2024	estimate	12,834,498	308,550	85,780	3.03	67.0
2025	projection	13,055,303	308,768	87,587	2.99	67.2
2026	projection	13,274,935	309,505	89,509	2.95	67.3
2027	projection	13,492,812	310,202	91,429	2.92	67.4
2028	projection	13,709,263	311,126	93,491	2.89	67.6
2029	projection	13,923,898	311,631	95,562	2.85	67.7
2030	projection	14,136,866	312,445	97,797	2.82	67.8
2031	projection	14,348,904	313,229	100,038	2.79	68.0
2032	projection	14,557,903	314,645	102,300	2.76	68.1
2033	projection	14,765,878	315,894	104,641	2.73	68.2
2034	projection	14,971,899	316,998	107,084	2.71	68.3
2035	projection	15,177,629	317,930	109,578	2.68	68.5
2036	projection	15,380,751	318,898	112,111	2.65	68.6
2037	projection	15,583,424	319,601	114,673	2.63	68.7
2038	projection	15,783,954	320,705	117,361	2.60	68.8
2039	projection	15,982,410	321,637	120,019	2.58	68.9
2040	projection	16,177,975	322,503	122,766	2.56	69.0
2041	projection	16,370,996	323,061	125,459	2.53	69.2
2042	projection	16,561,174	323,173	128,310	2.51	69.3
2043	projection	16,748,876	323,829	131,159	2.49	69.4
2044	projection	16,935,201	324,406	133,932	2.47	69.5
2045	projection	17,120,487	324,938	136,784	2.46	69.6
2046	projection	17,304,306	325,069	139,735	2.44	69.7
2047	projection	17,484,036	324,884	142,433	2.42	69.8
2048	projection	17,660,845	324,728	145,315	2.40	69.9
2049	projection	17,835,300	324,441	148,249	2.38	70.0
2050	projection	18,007,425	324,180	151,175	2.37	70.1
2051	projection	18,174,434	323,860	154,068	2.35	70.2
2052	projection	18,339,313	323,537	156,910	2.33	70.3
2053	projection	18,502,111	322,908	159,774	2.32	70.4
2054	projection	18,660,017	322,291	162,666	2.30	70.5
2055	projection	18,816,699	321,730	165,574	2.29	70.6
2056	projection	18,967,736	321,203	168,351	2.27	70.8
2057	projection	19,115,281	320,586	171,201	2.26	70.9
2058	projection	19,260,526	319,909	173,966	2.25	71.0
2059	projection	19,402,453	319,283	176,816	2.23	71.1
2060	projection	19,541,916	318,363	179,608	2.22	71.2
2061	projection	19,679,396	317,748	182,458	2.21	71.3
2062	projection	19,810,542	317,113	185,235	2.19	71.4
2063	projection	19,937,913	316,394	187,924	2.18	71.5
2064	projection	20,062,475	316,077	190,515	2.17	71.6
2065	projection	20,186,334	315,397	193,208	2.16	71.7
2066	projection	20,307,917	314,900	195,830	2.15	71.8
2067	projection	20,426,502	314,090	198,374	2.14	71.9
2068	projection	20,541,970	313,385	200,863	2.13	72.0
2069	projection	20,653,410	312,838	203,343	2.12	72.2
2070	projection	20,760,398	312,017	205,784	2.10	72.3
2071	projection	20,863,639	311,127	208,091	2.09	72.4
2072	projection	20,965,301	310,356	210,536	2.08	72.5
2073	projection	21,062,909	308,979	212,920	2.07	72.6
2074	projection	21,155,597	308,129	215,180	2.06	72.7
2075	projection	21,245,014	306,911	217,109	2.05	72.8
2076	projection	21,332,116	306,303	219,277	2.05	73.0
2077	projection	21,415,681	305,582	221,472	2.04	73.1
2078	projection	21,497,610	304,746	223,496	2.03	73.2
2079	projection	21,578,172	303,729	225,511	2.02	73.3
2080	projection	21,654,071	302,397	227,447	2.02	73.4
2081	projection	21,731,762	301,409	229,451	2.01	73.5
2082	projection	21,802,464	300,520	231,338	2.00	73.6
2083	projection	21,869,479	299,386	233,292	2.00	73.7
2084	projection	21,936,216	298,399	235,095	1.99	73.9
2085	projection	21,997,980	297,269	236,871	1.99	74.0
2086	projection	22,058,267	296,314	238,629	1.98	74.1
2087	projection	22,115,890	295,159	240,216	1.97	74.2
2088	projection	22,169,315	293,906	241,745	1.97	74.3
2089	projection	22,219,601	292,285	243,365	1.96	74.5
2090	projection	22,266,829	290,772	244,867	1.95	74.6
2091	projection	22,315,181	289,314	246,559	1.95	74.7
2092	projection	22,358,278	288,179	248,053	1.94	74.8
2093	projection	22,397,905	286,848	249,649	1.93	75.0
2094	projection	22,433,456	285,454	251,304	1.93	75.1
2095	projection	22,466,200	284,144	252,679	1.92	75.2
2096	projection	22,495,111	282,902	254,002	1.92	75.3
2097	projection	22,521,035	281,159	255,614	1.91	75.4
2098	projection	22,542,786	279,653	256,934	1.90	75.5
2099	projection	22,560,295	278,026	258,220	1.90	75.7
2100	projection	22,575,808	276,403	259,235	1.89	75.8

AGG · members

Countries and areas in Melanesia

Melanesia: member countries and areas, population mid-2023, share of the group and projected mid-2100
#	Country or area	Mid-2023	Share	Mid-2100, projected
1	Papua New Guinea	10,389,635	81.7%	18,640,542
2	Fiji	924,146	7.3%	879,377
3	Solomon Islands	800,006	6.3%	1,849,209
4	Vanuatu	320,408	2.5%	875,478
5	New Caledonia	289,870	2.3%	337,221

Show the numbers: Melanesia, mid-2026, by single year of age

Melanesia: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	155,918	145,750
1	154,752	144,706
2	153,778	143,802
3	153,206	143,215
4	153,060	143,176
5	152,369	142,642
6	151,390	141,667
7	150,342	140,650
8	149,196	139,490
9	148,134	138,351
10	147,205	137,323
11	146,180	136,162
12	144,900	134,702
13	143,264	132,848
14	141,573	130,962
15	139,808	129,089
16	137,612	126,754
17	135,411	124,422
18	133,466	122,408
19	131,473	120,450
20	129,560	118,636
21	127,680	116,903
22	125,809	115,382
23	123,694	113,773
24	121,270	111,871
25	118,758	109,958
26	116,523	108,324
27	114,380	106,753
28	112,206	105,078
29	110,256	103,595
30	108,198	102,124
31	106,230	100,761
32	104,445	99,566
33	102,402	98,143
34	100,166	96,578
35	98,193	95,411
36	96,530	94,739
37	94,350	93,608
38	91,426	91,622
39	88,484	89,412
40	85,764	87,208
41	83,126	84,981
42	80,491	82,639
43	77,785	80,036
44	75,232	77,468
45	72,964	75,088
46	70,721	72,797
47	68,208	70,139
48	65,962	67,578
49	64,256	65,547
50	62,276	63,297
51	60,000	60,822
52	57,826	58,439
53	55,744	56,138
54	53,506	53,740
55	51,271	51,314
56	49,174	49,028
57	47,099	46,762
58	45,151	44,514
59	43,342	42,378
60	41,458	40,201
61	39,503	38,010
62	37,505	35,803
63	35,360	33,564
64	32,969	31,194
65	30,480	28,848
66	28,090	26,690
67	25,763	24,614
68	23,435	22,546
69	21,095	20,490
70	18,952	18,653
71	17,003	17,009
72	15,228	15,523
73	13,594	14,160
74	12,020	12,820
75	10,545	11,521
76	9,243	10,239
77	8,244	8,891
78	7,242	7,735
79	6,191	6,842
80	5,261	5,976
81	4,392	5,138
82	3,644	4,388
83	2,997	3,716
84	2,425	3,112
85	1,958	2,578
86	1,562	2,090
87	1,222	1,658
88	938	1,295
89	705	998
90	516	758
91	369	566
92	258	414
93	179	296
94	123	207
95	84	144
96	56	100
97	37	65
98	24	41
99	15	26
100+	20	37

AGG · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Melanesia, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

AGG · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Melanesia

On the UN's projection, Melanesia will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2097: 14,667,600 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 7,992,650.

100 aged 15–64

53 children

6 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: take 100 people of working age — the orange row — and the two rows under it are the children (teal) and the people of 65 and over (violet) who lived alongside them in 2023.

At no point between 1950 and 2100 do fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 here.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: the strip runs 1950 to 2100. Coloured years are the ones with under 50 dependants for every 100 people aged 15–64; grey years are the rest, and a hatched year has not happened yet.

How every country compares

AGG · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Melanesia, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Melanesia gains 47 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 15–19, at 537 a year more arriving than leaving.

one square = 50 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: age runs left to right, babies to 100. A blue square above the line means arrivals outnumber departures at that age, an orange square below it means the opposite. The figures are the UN's projection for 2020–2025; nobody recorded migration by age before 2020.

Its best and worst years between 1950 and 2023: a gain of 45,335 (2010), and a loss of 37,807 (1988).

This is a group of countries, so its figure counts only moves across its own outer edge: someone moving from one country inside it to another does not appear.

How migration works everywhere

AGG · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Melanesia

Of every 100 babies born in Melanesia in 2023, 10 had a mother under 20, 71 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 19 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 11 under 20 and 14 aged 35 or older.

1950
11 · 75 · 14

2023
10 · 71 · 19

2050 · projected
8 · 73 · 19

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: one block a year, 100 squares in each, a square for every hundredth baby. The colour is the mother's age group, and the three numbers underneath are those groups in order, youngest first.

Babies born, 2023: 306,632
Average age when women have a baby: 29.2 years; 29.4 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 51; 93 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in Melanesia by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	338	780	2,626	930	259	61
15–19	10,449	15,150	26,254	30,459	26,776	11,927
20–24	27,268	40,719	62,109	79,699	81,262	50,647
25–29	24,965	38,590	60,545	78,048	85,905	77,985
30–34	17,284	28,691	43,809	60,571	69,400	75,916
35–39	9,448	18,258	26,985	38,369	45,428	47,956
40–44	2,962	7,934	12,117	15,316	13,347	10,952
45–49	442	1,510	2,825	3,096	1,737	938
50–54	14	68	148	144	66	21
All babies	93,170	151,700	237,418	306,632	324,180	276,403

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual tables for regions and groups (estimates to 2023, then the medium projection), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UN WUP 2025 · Maddison Project 2020 · flag-icons. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The 5 countries listed were summed and checked against the UN's total for every year. The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.