Country or area · Melanesia · Oceania · UN WPP 2024

New Caledonia population

New Caledonia population now

298,498

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 291,217–306,855.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 289,870

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 297,891; 95% range, 31 Dec: 291,217–306,855
Median age: 35.8
Aged 65+: 12.1%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2067

male female projection · one cell = 50 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

NCL · 1950–2100 · in brief

New Caledonia in numbers

In mid-2023 there were 289,870 people in New Caledonia: the 185th-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and less than 0.01% of the world's people. That is 4.5 times its 1950 population of 63,790.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2067 at 348 thousand, then falling to 337 thousand by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 74,650 to 949 thousand.

The medium projection has deaths passing births in 2060 and staying above them from then on. The population still grows until 2067, because more people arrive than leave.

The median age was 22.7 in 1950 and 34.9 in 2023; the projection has 48.3 in 2100. 11.1% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 30.2% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2046 at 209 thousand.

By size it is the 185th country in 2023; the projection puts it 184th in 2050 and 183rd in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Martinique in 2035 and Guadeloupe in 2046. It is overtaken by São Tomé and Príncipe in 2044 and Samoa in 2080.

Population, mid-2023: 289,870
Rank by population, 2023: 185 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: less than 0.01%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +0.96% · +2,747 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 16
Land area, 2023: 18,280 km²
Births, 2023: 4,134
Deaths, 2023: 1,818
Net migration, 2023: +485
Children per woman, 2023: 1.98
Median age, 2023: 34.9 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 78.8 years
In a city, 2025: 42 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 63,790
Projected, mid-2050: 340,580
Projected, mid-2100: 337,221

NCL · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2067estimates | projections0200 k400 k600 k800 k1 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. Each column is the population on 1 January of one year; the paper rules cut it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: New Caledonia, 1950–2100

New Caledonia: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	63,335		2,239	1,328	5.13	45.1
1951	estimate	64,245		2,275	1,305	5.14	45.7
1952	estimate	65,211		2,315	1,278	5.16	46.5
1953	estimate	66,253		2,359	1,255	5.17	47.2
1954	estimate	67,357		2,404	1,232	5.19	47.9
1955	estimate	68,535		2,474	1,212	5.24	48.6
1956	estimate	69,783		2,547	1,191	5.30	49.4
1957	estimate	71,447		2,638	1,177	5.35	50.1
1958	estimate	73,664		2,744	1,169	5.38	50.9
1959	estimate	76,017		2,851	1,163	5.41	51.6
1960	estimate	78,503		2,963	1,157	5.44	52.3
1961	estimate	81,134		3,079	1,153	5.46	53.1
1962	estimate	83,908		3,136	1,147	5.39	53.8
1963	estimate	86,759		3,201	1,139	5.34	54.5
1964	estimate	89,341		3,257	1,127	5.37	55.3
1965	estimate	91,862		3,308	1,111	5.31	56.1
1966	estimate	94,457		3,380	1,094	5.25	56.9
1967	estimate	97,183		3,442	1,076	5.15	57.7
1968	estimate	99,991		3,512	1,058	5.06	58.5
1969	estimate	102,890		3,594	1,041	5.01	59.3
1970	estimate	106,808		3,825	1,030	5.07	60.1
1971	estimate	111,867		3,993	1,041	5.05	60.8
1972	estimate	117,162		4,182	1,057	5.05	61.4
1973	estimate	122,700		4,284	1,065	4.93	62.1
1974	estimate	128,471		4,295	1,076	4.69	62.7
1975	estimate	134,432		4,315	1,091	4.46	63.2
1976	estimate	140,491		4,313	1,108	4.23	63.8
1977	estimate	143,692		4,271	1,101	4.05	64.2
1978	estimate	145,506		4,185	1,084	3.88	64.7
1979	estimate	147,277		4,144	1,069	3.75	65.2
1980	estimate	148,988		4,128	1,056	3.66	65.6
1981	estimate	150,647		4,123	1,046	3.59	66.0
1982	estimate	152,236		4,091	1,026	3.48	66.5
1983	estimate	153,767		4,013	1,008	3.35	67.0
1984	estimate	156,239		3,887	999	3.16	67.4
1985	estimate	158,927		3,843	1,002	3.05	67.8
1986	estimate	161,542		3,986	1,012	3.08	68.2
1987	estimate	164,254		4,092	1,026	3.08	68.6
1988	estimate	167,047		4,227	1,043	3.08	68.9
1989	estimate	169,958		4,316	1,060	3.06	69.2
1990	estimate	174,099		4,460	1,038	3.10	69.5
1991	estimate	178,813		4,595	1,061	3.07	69.8
1992	estimate	183,663		4,564	1,079	2.95	70.1
1993	estimate	188,481		4,509	1,092	2.82	70.5
1994	estimate	193,232		4,469	1,102	2.71	70.9
1995	estimate	197,996		4,467	1,112	2.65	71.3
1996	estimate	202,761		4,596	1,121	2.65	71.8
1997	estimate	207,307		4,696	1,125	2.65	72.2
1998	estimate	211,813		4,616	1,132	2.55	72.7
1999	estimate	216,280		4,606	1,139	2.48	73.1
2000	estimate	220,774		4,730	1,151	2.51	73.6
2001	estimate	225,422		4,623	1,165	2.42	74.0
2002	estimate	229,991		4,535	1,184	2.35	74.3
2003	estimate	234,480		4,427	1,211	2.27	74.5
2004	estimate	238,875		4,425	1,243	2.24	74.7
2005	estimate	242,829		4,425	1,275	2.23	74.9
2006	estimate	245,933		4,463	1,291	2.24	75.0
2007	estimate	249,160		4,422	1,336	2.21	75.2
2008	estimate	252,290		4,403	1,380	2.20	75.4
2009	estimate	255,360		4,377	1,422	2.19	75.7
2010	estimate	259,139		4,388	1,452	2.19	76.0
2011	estimate	264,025		4,487	1,466	2.20	76.3
2012	estimate	269,060		4,560	1,488	2.20	76.6
2013	estimate	274,206		4,551	1,518	2.17	76.9
2014	estimate	279,438		4,508	1,563	2.12	77.0
2015	estimate	283,011		4,456	1,611	2.08	77.2
2016	estimate	283,325		4,442	1,648	2.08	77.4
2017	estimate	283,521		4,346	1,682	2.04	77.5
2018	estimate	283,571		4,318	1,721	2.04	77.6
2019	estimate	283,511		4,306	1,781	2.05	77.3
2020	estimate	283,701		4,235	2,106	2.02	77.0
2021	estimate	284,652		4,206	1,901	2.01	77.1
2022	estimate	285,776		4,163	1,952	2.00	77.7
2023	estimate	288,470		4,134	1,818	1.98	78.8
2024	estimate	291,269		4,106	1,829	1.96	78.9
2025	projection	294,010	291,682–296,214	4,068	1,864	1.95	79.1
2026	projection	296,656	291,642–301,288	4,038	1,899	1.93	79.2
2027	projection	299,129	291,217–306,855	4,012	1,938	1.92	79.4
2028	projection	301,608	290,621–312,840	3,989	1,976	1.91	79.5
2029	projection	304,070	289,480–319,381	3,966	2,018	1.89	79.7
2030	projection	306,437	287,651–326,675	3,947	2,062	1.88	79.8
2031	projection	308,717	286,052–333,499	3,939	2,108	1.87	80.0
2032	projection	310,959	283,742–340,379	3,933	2,154	1.87	80.2
2033	projection	313,138	282,574–348,861	3,926	2,199	1.86	80.3
2034	projection	315,243	280,039–355,262	3,924	2,244	1.85	80.5
2035	projection	317,250	277,665–362,764	3,924	2,295	1.85	80.6
2036	projection	319,229	275,409–370,636	3,921	2,345	1.84	80.8
2037	projection	321,187	272,167–380,195	3,923	2,396	1.83	80.9
2038	projection	323,129	269,190–389,196	3,920	2,448	1.83	81.1
2039	projection	324,974	265,314–398,442	3,912	2,499	1.82	81.3
2040	projection	326,687	262,676–405,410	3,906	2,553	1.82	81.4
2041	projection	328,312	258,427–412,932	3,898	2,610	1.81	81.6
2042	projection	329,870	254,803–419,112	3,887	2,670	1.81	81.7
2043	projection	331,543	251,077–426,868	3,878	2,728	1.80	81.9
2044	projection	333,079	247,668–437,406	3,864	2,789	1.80	82.0
2045	projection	334,475	245,464–447,296	3,848	2,851	1.79	82.2
2046	projection	335,851	243,032–457,665	3,830	2,913	1.79	82.3
2047	projection	337,116	240,824–466,769	3,813	2,974	1.78	82.5
2048	projection	338,160	234,311–473,247	3,794	3,035	1.78	82.6
2049	projection	339,150	233,601–483,698	3,774	3,096	1.78	82.8
2050	projection	340,136	231,720–491,506	3,756	3,156	1.77	82.9
2051	projection	341,025	227,654–497,220	3,739	3,216	1.77	83.0
2052	projection	341,779	222,954–506,873	3,721	3,272	1.77	83.2
2053	projection	342,558	219,519–517,686	3,704	3,325	1.77	83.3
2054	projection	343,304	215,176–523,296	3,691	3,377	1.76	83.4
2055	projection	343,866	211,146–533,048	3,673	3,424	1.76	83.6
2056	projection	344,444	208,401–541,312	3,658	3,468	1.76	83.7
2057	projection	344,906	204,774–552,824	3,640	3,509	1.76	83.8
2058	projection	345,394	201,834–562,488	3,626	3,545	1.76	84.0
2059	projection	345,929	198,095–571,473	3,609	3,579	1.75	84.1
2060	projection	346,246	193,295–582,192	3,592	3,608	1.75	84.2
2061	projection	346,575	191,337–594,041	3,576	3,636	1.75	84.4
2062	projection	346,816	186,705–606,953	3,563	3,660	1.75	84.5
2063	projection	347,040	185,081–618,225	3,549	3,683	1.75	84.6
2064	projection	347,262	182,283–625,133	3,536	3,700	1.75	84.7
2065	projection	347,495	179,612–630,696	3,525	3,719	1.74	84.9
2066	projection	347,619	175,850–647,770	3,508	3,733	1.74	85.0
2067	projection	347,721	171,951–662,572	3,496	3,748	1.74	85.1
2068	projection	347,653	165,940–680,142	3,478	3,758	1.74	85.2
2069	projection	347,599	159,478–690,506	3,464	3,774	1.73	85.3
2070	projection	347,498	157,033–700,463	3,450	3,784	1.73	85.5
2071	projection	347,425	154,249–711,586	3,442	3,794	1.73	85.6
2072	projection	347,335	150,964–715,231	3,433	3,802	1.73	85.7
2073	projection	347,254	147,100–725,236	3,421	3,812	1.73	85.8
2074	projection	347,221	143,317–729,231	3,416	3,822	1.73	86.0
2075	projection	347,205	139,189–732,091	3,409	3,827	1.73	86.1
2076	projection	347,063	136,027–741,149	3,397	3,832	1.73	86.2
2077	projection	346,950	133,426–757,575	3,385	3,839	1.73	86.3
2078	projection	346,802	129,042–762,432	3,368	3,839	1.72	86.4
2079	projection	346,513	123,671–771,216	3,354	3,839	1.72	86.5
2080	projection	346,245	122,331–777,854	3,340	3,842	1.72	86.6
2081	projection	346,122	118,919–777,204	3,329	3,839	1.72	86.7
2082	projection	345,897	115,615–792,288	3,315	3,838	1.72	86.9
2083	projection	345,704	113,268–799,153	3,304	3,839	1.72	87.0
2084	projection	345,534	109,835–814,207	3,286	3,839	1.72	87.1
2085	projection	345,180	107,717–822,963	3,271	3,841	1.72	87.2
2086	projection	344,871	105,498–824,248	3,257	3,843	1.72	87.3
2087	projection	344,481	103,215–832,984	3,240	3,849	1.72	87.4
2088	projection	344,043	99,851–847,648	3,225	3,856	1.72	87.5
2089	projection	343,590	96,527–860,400	3,208	3,859	1.72	87.6
2090	projection	343,184	93,267–863,060	3,194	3,868	1.72	87.7
2091	projection	342,718	90,764–870,169	3,181	3,876	1.72	87.8
2092	projection	342,205	89,664–883,671	3,161	3,884	1.72	87.9
2093	projection	341,738	89,420–888,846	3,147	3,895	1.72	88.0
2094	projection	341,239	87,805–895,822	3,132	3,903	1.72	88.1
2095	projection	340,689	85,358–902,761	3,118	3,913	1.72	88.2
2096	projection	340,079	82,622–910,022	3,101	3,920	1.71	88.3
2097	projection	339,497	80,366–911,306	3,083	3,929	1.71	88.5
2098	projection	338,794	79,231–939,446	3,065	3,940	1.71	88.5
2099	projection	338,171	76,743–934,193	3,053	3,949	1.71	88.7
2100	projection	337,573	74,650–949,053	3,041	3,955	1.71	88.7

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

New Caledonia: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	2,074	1,961
1	2,092	1,980
2	2,109	1,997
3	2,123	2,011
4	2,139	2,027
5	2,144	2,035
6	2,148	2,046
7	2,128	2,036
8	2,100	2,015
9	2,106	2,027
10	2,068	2,030
11	2,069	2,065
12	2,116	2,106
13	2,149	2,076
14	2,151	2,055
15	2,116	2,078
16	2,130	2,084
17	2,133	2,077
18	2,159	2,098
19	2,175	2,152
20	2,154	2,163
21	2,173	2,122
22	2,168	2,149
23	2,121	2,181
24	2,144	2,188
25	2,173	2,194
26	2,082	2,104
27	1,968	1,992
28	1,938	1,912
29	1,938	1,873
30	1,905	1,907
31	1,912	1,979
32	1,974	2,069
33	2,046	2,130
34	2,109	2,146
35	2,145	2,181
36	2,135	2,218
37	2,098	2,209
38	2,106	2,208
39	2,139	2,214
40	2,146	2,176
41	2,085	2,138
42	2,024	2,138
43	2,049	2,124
44	2,064	2,106
45	2,011	2,068
46	1,915	2,042
47	1,856	2,028
48	1,863	2,010
49	1,863	1,983
50	1,848	1,984
51	1,892	2,050
52	1,950	2,093
53	1,982	2,082
54	1,965	2,051
55	1,930	2,003
56	1,878	1,973
57	1,790	1,918
58	1,746	1,842
59	1,709	1,783
60	1,632	1,692
61	1,571	1,617
62	1,555	1,576
63	1,518	1,542
64	1,426	1,462
65	1,314	1,408
66	1,228	1,374
67	1,180	1,317
68	1,130	1,241
69	1,042	1,140
70	985	1,075
71	952	1,026
72	902	958
73	853	903
74	798	864
75	733	821
76	709	774
77	714	728
78	670	713
79	600	674
80	527	594
81	446	533
82	391	492
83	340	444
84	276	401
85	237	364
86	200	311
87	159	249
88	126	200
89	97	164
90	74	135
91	54	111
92	38	88
93	26	68
94	19	50
95	13	38
96	8	28
97	5	19
98	4	12
99	2	8
100+	2	11

NCL · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

New Caledonia, 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.

NCL · ages 15–64

Who does the work in New Caledonia

On the UN's projection, New Caledonia will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2046: 209,068 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 195,324.

100 aged 15–64

32 children

16 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.

Fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 in 17 years: 2011–2027.

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

How to read this: 1950 on the left, 2100 on the right; coloured in the years with fewer than 50 dependants per 100 working-age people, grey in the rest, hatched where that is a projection.

How every country compares

NCL · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in New Caledonia, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 New Caledonia loses 22 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 25–29, at 74 a year more arriving than leaving.

one square = 10 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.

In the years that were counted, 1950–2023, the most it gained in one year was 2,838 (1975) and the most it lost was 2,650 (2018).

In 2024, 76,738 people living in New Caledonia had been born in another country, 26 of every 100 people there, against 21 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

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

Who has the babies in New Caledonia

Of every 100 babies born in New Caledonia in 2023, 3 had a mother under 20, 71 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 26 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 11 under 20 and 17 aged 35 or older.

1950
11 · 72 · 17

2023
3 · 71 · 26

2050 · projected
1 · 64 · 35

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: 4,134
Average age when women have a baby: 30.5 years; 28.8 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 12; 85 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in New Caledonia by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	7	21	0	0	0	0
15–19	236	582	258	129	50	28
20–24	635	1,386	1,215	746	416	267
25–29	577	1,113	1,519	1,002	810	687
30–34	409	666	1,115	1,203	1,170	1,046
35–39	252	391	497	801	927	743
40–44	108	134	121	244	367	254
45–49	15	21	5	9	16	16
50–54	0	1	0	0	0	0
All babies	2,239	4,315	4,730	4,134	3,756	3,041

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

NCL · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in New Caledonia

UNHCR publishes no refugees, asylum-seekers or displaced people in or from New Caledonia at the end of 2025.

An empty row is not the same as a zero. These figures cover the people one agency works with, so a country it has no operation in has nothing to report here.

How the world's displacement is counted

NCL · of every 100 people

How people live in New Caledonia

Of every 100 people in New Caledonia in 2025, 42 lived in a city, 24 in a town or suburb and 34 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

Nearly everyone has electricity at home (2024).

How to read this: everyone here, shrunk to 100 squares, with the colour saying whether that hundredth person lives in a city, a town or the countryside. Every country is measured by the same rule.

How the world's people live

NCL · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in New Caledonia went in school

Of every 100 adults in New Caledonia in 2020, 4 never went to school and 67 finished upper secondary or went further.

4 never went to school 3 some primary 9 finished primary 17 finished lower secondary 37 finished upper secondary 30 studied after school

Compare two generations. Aged 60–64, 6.2 of every 100 women and 5 of every 100 men never went to school; aged 25–29, 0.9 and 1.1.

Its people aged 15 to 64, and the ones among them who finished upper secondary, are projected to be most numerous in the same year, 2065.

How to read this: 100 squares, one for every hundredth adult aged 25 or over, from least schooling on the left to most on the right. Counted by the Wittgenstein Centre for 2020.

How far the world's people went in school

NCL · cities · 2025

Cities in New Caledonia

New Caledonia had 1 city in 2025, home to 124,060 people.

Nouméa124,060

How to read this: the one city here in 2025, drawn on a single scale so the bars can be compared. Each is a built-up area on the UN's rule rather than a city government's patch.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for New Caledonia are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries 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.