Cook Islands

Kūki 'Āirani

Associated statePolynesia, Oceania

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Population

13,035

2026 · UN WPPProjection

Life expectancy

75.8 years

2026 · UN WPPProjection

UN WPP 2024 Revision (estimates through 2023; 2024–2100 medium-variant projections). World Bank WDI, 13 July 2026 release. UNDP HDR HDR 2025. UNESCO UIS UIS February 2026. ILOSTAT ILOSTAT December 2025. IMF WEO WEO April 2026. OWID CO₂ OWID CO₂ December 2025.

Overview

Cook Islands is associated state in Polynesia, Oceania.

State in free association with New Zealand.

Every figure names its source, year, and whether it is an actual value, an estimate, or a projection. Missing values stay missing.

ISO alpha-2: CK
ISO alpha-3: COK
UN M49: 184
Wikidata: Q26988

People

Population stocks and demographic rates are from the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium variant unless another source is named. Years from 2024 onward are projections.

PopulationProjection: 13,035
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Population (1 July)Projection: 12,826
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Population growth rateProjection: −3.3 percent
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Population densityProjection: 53.4 persons per km²
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Cook Islands’s density is below the Polynesia median of 79.4 (9 profiles with 2026 data), and below the median of 90.1 among 195 core profiles with 2026 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
Median ageProjection: 38.1 years
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Cook Islands’s median age is above the Polynesia median of 29.1 (9 profiles with 2026 data), and above the median of 29.8 among 195 core profiles with 2026 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
Population sex ratioProjection: 95.2 males per 100 females
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Total fertility rateProjection: 2 live births per woman
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Cook Islands’s tfr is below the Polynesia median of 2.4 (9 profiles with 2026 data), and close to median of 2 among 195 core profiles with 2026 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
Crude birth rateProjection: 10.4 per 1,000 population
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Net number of migrantsProjection: −419
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Net migration rateProjection: −32.6 per 1,000 population
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium

Population of Cook Islands. Solid line: estimates (1950–2023). Dashed line: medium-variant projections (2024–2100). UN WPP, WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium.

Data table

Year	Population	Status
1950	14,490	estimate
1960	17,466	estimate
1970	20,285	estimate
1980	17,742	estimate
1990	17,024	estimate
2000	16,171	estimate
2010	16,725	estimate
2020	15,892	estimate
2030	11,623	projection
2040	10,000	projection
2050	9,367	projection
2060	8,679	projection
2070	8,204	projection
2080	8,160	projection
2090	8,143	projection
2100	7,918	projection
2101	7,889	projection

Development

Human development indices are published only from the latest UNDP HDR series. This build does not invent a substitute index.

Human Development Index: No comparable data
No internationally comparable figure in this build.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index: No comparable data
No internationally comparable figure in this build.
Gender Development Index: No comparable data
No internationally comparable figure in this build.
Gender Inequality Index: No comparable data
No internationally comparable figure in this build.
Multidimensional Poverty Index: No comparable data
No internationally comparable figure in this build.

Health and education

Life expectancy and mortality are UN WPP series unless labelled otherwise. Education figures are UNESCO UIS (CC BY-SA, isolated) where a comparable series exists; otherwise they stay missing.

Life expectancy at birthProjection: 75.8 years
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Cook Islands’s life expectancy is above the Polynesia median of 73.4 (9 profiles with 2026 data), and close to median of 74.1 among 195 core profiles with 2026 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
Crude death rateProjection: 10.4 per 1,000 population
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Life expectancy at birth (male)Projection: 72.4 years
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Cook Islands’s life exp. male is close to Polynesia median of 70.5 (9 profiles with 2026 data), and close to median of 70.9 among 195 core profiles with 2026 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
Life expectancy at birth (female)Projection: 79.5 years
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Cook Islands’s life exp. female is above the Polynesia median of 76.8 (9 profiles with 2026 data), and close to median of 77.4 among 195 core profiles with 2026 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
Infant mortality rateProjection: 5 per 1,000 live births
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Cook Islands’s infant mortality is below the Polynesia median of 8.1 (9 profiles with 2026 data), and below the median of 11.1 among 195 core profiles with 2026 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
Under-five mortality rateProjection: 6 per 1,000 live births
2026 · UN WPP · Projection · WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium
Cook Islands’s u5mr is below the Polynesia median of 9.9 (9 profiles with 2026 data), and below the median of 12.9 among 195 core profiles with 2026 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
Prevalence of undernourishment: No comparable data
No internationally comparable figure in this build.
Adult literacy rate: No comparable data
No internationally comparable figure in this build.
Youth literacy rate: No comparable data
No internationally comparable figure in this build.
Mean years of schooling: 11.7 years
2020 · UNESCO UIS · Actual · UIS Bulk Data Download Service (February 2026)
Cook Islands’s mean years school is above the median of 11.1 among 18 core profiles with 2020 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.
School life expectancy: 15.6 years
2024 · UNESCO UIS · Actual · UIS Bulk Data Download Service (February 2026)

Life expectancy at birth in Cook Islands. Dashed line marks medium-variant projections. UN WPP, WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium.

Data table

Year	Years	Status
1950	37.9	estimate
1960	52.7	estimate
1970	63.6	estimate
1980	65.9	estimate
1990	66.5	estimate
2000	69.8	estimate
2010	72.8	estimate
2020	74.5	estimate
2030	76.6	projection
2040	78.4	projection
2050	80.1	projection
2060	81.7	projection
2070	83.1	projection
2080	84.4	projection
2090	85.5	projection
2100	86.7	projection

Environment

Forest cover is World Bank WDI. CO₂ is the Global Carbon Project series via Our World in Data — not IEA-EDGAR.

Land area: —
Figure not published for this entity.
CO₂ emissions: 0.1 million tonnes
2024 · OWID / Global Carbon Project · Actual · OWID CO2 data (Global Carbon Project)
CO₂ emissions per capita: 5.8 tonnes per person
2024 · OWID / Global Carbon Project · Actual · OWID CO2 data (Global Carbon Project)
Cook Islands’s co₂ / capita is above the Polynesia median of 2.7 (7 profiles with 2024 data), and above the median of 2.8 among 192 core profiles with 2024 data. Unweighted medians of the same-year cohort; not a population-weighted world average.

CO₂ emissions of Cook Islands. Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data. OWID / Global Carbon Project, OWID CO2 data (Global Carbon Project).

Data table

Year	Million tonnes	Status
1969	0	actual
1973	0	actual
1977	0	actual
1981	0.1	actual
1985	0	actual
1989	0	actual
1993	0	actual
1997	0.1	actual
2001	0.1	actual
2005	0.1	actual
2009	0.1	actual
2013	0.1	actual
2017	0.1	actual
2021	0.1	actual
2024	0.1	actual

Geography

Region: Oceania
Subregion: Polynesia
Natural Earth ADM0_A3: COK
Cartographic size: Tiny state on the 50m globe (point or small polygon)

Outline from Natural Earth 50m Admin 0. Made with Natural Earth. Not a locator map.

Government

Classification is descriptive and is not a recognition of legal claims.Map and status policy.

Status: Associated state
Publication tier: Additional profile
Related ISO alpha-3: NZL
SIDS: Small island developing State

State in free association with New Zealand.

Sources

United Nations World Population Prospects

WPP2024 Demographic Indicators Medium. Vintage 2024 Revision. CC BY 3.0 IGO. Retrieved 2026-09-03. Source file.

Population (2026, projection; series TPopulation1Jan)
Life expectancy at birth (2026, projection; series LEx)
Population (1 July) (2026, projection; series TPopulation1July)
Population growth rate (2026, projection; series PopGrowthRate)
Population density (2026, projection; series PopDensity)
Median age (2026, projection; series MedianAgePop)
Population sex ratio (2026, projection; series PopSexRatio)
Total fertility rate (2026, projection; series TFR)
Crude birth rate (2026, projection; series CBR)
Crude death rate (2026, projection; series CDR)
Life expectancy at birth (male) (2026, projection; series LExMale)
Life expectancy at birth (female) (2026, projection; series LExFemale)
Infant mortality rate (2026, projection; series IMR)
Under-five mortality rate (2026, projection; series Q5)
Net number of migrants (2026, projection; series NetMigrations)
Net migration rate (2026, projection; series CNMR)

UNESCO Institute for Statistics

UIS Bulk Data Download Service (February 2026). Vintage UIS February 2026. CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. Retrieved 2026-09-03. Source file.

Mean years of schooling (2020, actual; series MYS.1T8.AG25T99)
School life expectancy (2024, actual; series SLE.1T8)

Our World in Data (Global Carbon Project)

OWID CO2 data (Global Carbon Project). Vintage OWID CO₂ December 2025. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-03. Source file.

CO₂ emissions (2024, actual; series co2)
CO₂ emissions per capita (2024, actual; series co2_per_capita)

Names, classifications, and boundaries are for statistical and cartographic use and do not constitute recognition of legal claims.