Which has higher population, Nauru or Tuvalu?

Nauru, at 11,900 people against 9,837 people in Tuvalu as of 2023.

What is the difference in population between Nauru and Tuvalu?

2,063 people, with Nauru ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Nauru and Tuvalu?

224 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2023.

Where does this data come from?

HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Nauru vs Tuvalu: Population

Nauru

11,900 people

in 2023

Tuvalu

9,837 people

in 2023

Nauru rank

227th

Tuvalu rank

230th

Population over time

Nauru
Tuvalu

How they compare

Nauru currently reports 11,900 people against 9,837 people in Tuvalu, a difference of 2,063 people.

That makes Nauru's figure about 1.2 times Tuvalu's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 224 shared years of data; in 1800 it was Tuvalu ahead.

Nauru ranks 227th and Tuvalu ranks 230th of 238 countries.

Across the 23 decades both report, Nauru averaged higher in 5 and Tuvalu in 18.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Nauru	Tuvalu	Difference	Ahead
1800s	1,834 people	2,499 people	665 people	Tuvalu
1810s	1,834 people	2,499 people	665.2 people	Tuvalu
1820s	1,841 people	2,555 people	713.7 people	Tuvalu
1830s	1,857 people	2,680 people	823 people	Tuvalu
1840s	1,873 people	2,813 people	939.2 people	Tuvalu
1850s	1,886 people	2,953 people	1,067 people	Tuvalu
1860s	1,893 people	3,102 people	1,209 people	Tuvalu
1870s	1,901 people	3,259 people	1,358 people	Tuvalu
1880s	1,909 people	3,424 people	1,515 people	Tuvalu
1890s	1,916 people	3,597 people	1,681 people	Tuvalu
1900s	1,924 people	3,779 people	1,855 people	Tuvalu
1910s	1,933 people	3,970 people	2,037 people	Tuvalu
1920s	2,350 people	4,167 people	1,818 people	Tuvalu
1930s	2,900 people	4,373 people	1,474 people	Tuvalu
1940s	3,096 people	4,590 people	1,494 people	Tuvalu
1950s	3,902 people	5,261 people	1,359 people	Tuvalu
1960s	5,622 people	5,696 people	73.5 people	Tuvalu
1970s	7,026 people	6,210 people	815.6 people	Nauru
1980s	8,514 people	8,028 people	486.3 people	Nauru
1990s	10,088 people	9,228 people	859.9 people	Nauru
2000s	10,086 people	9,944 people	141.4 people	Nauru
2010s	10,838 people	10,864 people	25.6 people	Tuvalu
2020s	11,778 people	10,122 people	1,657 people	Nauru

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population, Nauru or Tuvalu?: Nauru, at 11,900 people against 9,837 people in Tuvalu as of 2023.
What is the difference in population between Nauru and Tuvalu?: 2,063 people, with Nauru ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nauru and Tuvalu?: 224 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2023.
How do Nauru and Tuvalu rank globally for population?: Nauru ranks 227th and Tuvalu ranks 230th of 238 countries.
Where does this data come from?: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Population
Unit: people
Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 239 places, 51,002 data points, 1000–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.