Population 194,197 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 30% (male 29,423; female 28,320)
15-64 years: 65% (male 63,444; female 62,055)
65 years and over: 5% (male 5,202; female 5,753) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate 1.64% (1998 est.)

Birth rate 21.08 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate 4.84 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate 0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate 12.71 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 75.01 years
male: 71.75 years
female: 78.44 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate 2.46 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality
noun: New Caledonian(s)
adjective: New Caledonian

Ethnic groups Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3%

Religions Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%

Languages French, 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91%
male: 92%
female: 90% (1976 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding New Caledonia on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of New Caledonia People 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about New Caledonia People 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.