Iakwe Aolep
Fewer people, higher incomes: Marshall Islands shares in-depth census results with partner support
The Marshall Islands’ first fully digital census shows a declining population but increasing incomes over the past decade, while highlighting differences in wealth, food insecurity, readiness for climate change and the impact of natural disasters.
An in-depth look at the Marshall Islands’ 2021 census has been published in new analysis from the island nation’s Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office supported by the Pacific Community (SPC) and Consultancy Pacific Web. Key findings include:
- A 2.3% annual decline in population in the decade to 2021.
- Quadrupled household income in rural areas, from 5,000 USD in 2011 to around 20,000 USD in 2021.
- Over half of households said that natural disasters had somehow limited their livelihoods.
- Women have lower labour-force participation and higher unemployment than men.
- 40% of households have Internet access and nine in 10 own at least one mobile phone.
Like most other nations, the Marshall Islands conducts its national census every 10 years, with this latest carried out on 24 August 2021.
This is the country’s fourth post-independence census—and the first fully digital one, meaning the dispersed republic of 29 coral atolls and five islands has been able to collect and process the data far faster than previously.
Also for the first time, and among very few in the region, the 2021 census collected data on food security, the impact of natural disasters and climate change—and on knowledge and practice toward prevention measures.
The first report from the census, containing basic tables and findings, had already been shared in 2023. This newly published volume is an analytical report that investigates the data further, providing key findings and implications for the country, supported by SPC’s Statistics for Development Division and consultant Dr Michael Levin.
Facts and findings
This latest release shows that, for the first time in the Marshall Islands’ modern history, the total population has declined substantially from those enumerated 10 years earlier—a decline of 2.3% per annum compared to a growth rate of 1.4% per annum recorded in the 2011 census.
Emigration has emerged as a significant demographic phenomenon, with those aged between 20 and 34 being the most affected as they seek education and employment elsewhere.
The 2021 census also shows that household income from all sources has increased in all locations between 2011 and 2021. Most significantly, the average household income in rural areas has quadrupled in 10 years, rising from less than $5,000 USD in 2011 to about $20,000 in 2021.
In 2021, about two out of every five households had access to the Internet, and about 89% of households owned at least one mobile phone, while the average household owned more than two mobile phones. The census also showed that more than one in four households owned laptops.
While wealth and per capita household income have increased substantially in the past decade, many households are still worried about getting enough to eat and the impact of natural disasters.
About 4,000 households reported being food insecure. Just over half of households indicated that natural disasters had limited their livelihoods, with the rate slightly higher in rural areas. And despite planning and mitigation strategies, about one in three households—in Majuro and rural areas alike—responded that they had had to move because of natural disasters.
On gender, women have low labour-force participation and higher unemployment compared with men. When women get the chance to work in paid employment, they do so for shorter hours. As a result, labour underutilisation was more prominent, and an unmet need for employment was higher for women than men by about 12 points.
3% of the Marshall Islands population aged over 5 have a disability, and are often excluded from the labour market and educational opportunities. Of these, more than three in four live in urban areas.
Commentary on the census
In his foreword to the report, Mr Frederick J. deBrum, Director of the Marshall Islands’ Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office, comments that the themes that emerge in the report will require a collaborative response, nationally and internationally.
“Addressing these issues requires a multi-sectoral effort and harnessing available resources with greater efficiency,” he says. “Only then will we meet our aspirations as a nation and the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] to which our nation is a signatory.
“I would like to invite everyone—the public, state officials and policymakers, people in the private sector, and development partners—to consult the report more closely and use the census as much as possible in their respective work to ensure that our efforts are scientifically grounded and based on sound evidence.
“Finally, detailed work such as the one presented in the report can only result from the dedicated efforts of various agencies and individual experts. In particular, I commend the National Planning and Statistics Office and its staff for their continued dedication to informing the nation and for delivering a successful census.”
For more information on the Marshall Islands’ 2021 census or this analytical report, contact Mr Frederick J. deBrum, Director of the RMI Economic Policy, Planning and Statistics Office, fjdebrum@gmail.com | +692 455 2222.
