Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Caledonia
New Caledonia: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 97,705 people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Caledonia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2020, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Caledonia stood at 97,705 people.
That represents a change of down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Caledonia peaked at 115,876 people in 2005 and was at its lowest, 40,591 people, in 1950.
New Caledonia ranks 174th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Caledonia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 40,591 people | — |
| 1955 | 43,548 people | +7.3% |
| 1960 | 48,741 people | +11.9% |
| 1965 | 54,665 people | +12.2% |
| 1970 | 61,675 people | +12.8% |
| 1975 | 72,095 people | +16.9% |
| 1980 | 74,236 people | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 77,952 people | +5.0% |
| 1990 | 87,617 people | +12.4% |
| 1995 | 99,054 people | +13.1% |
| 2000 | 108,351 people | +9.4% |
| 2005 | 115,876 people | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 109,647 people | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 115,017 people | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 97,705 people | -15.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 42,070 people | 40,591 people | 43,548 people | 2 |
| 1960s | 51,703 people | 48,741 people | 54,665 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 66,885 people | 61,675 people | 72,095 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 76,094 people | 74,236 people | 77,952 people | 2 |
| 1990s | 93,336 people | 87,617 people | 99,054 people | 2 |
| 2000s | 112,114 people | 108,351 people | 115,876 people | 2 |
| 2010s | 112,332 people | 109,647 people | 115,017 people | 2 |
| 2020s | 97,705 people | 97,705 people | 97,705 people | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Caledonia
- 171 Martinique 101,870 people compare
- 172 Guadeloupe 101,812 people compare
- 173 Reunion 100,835 people compare
- 175 Samoa 89,515 people compare
- 176 Iceland 88,500 people compare
- 177 French Guiana 86,550 people compare
More population data for New Caledonia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1918 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1918 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1079 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.4774 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 18.45 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 15,426 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 1.25 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Caledonia?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in New Caledonia was 97,705 people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in New Caledonia?
- The highest recorded value was 115,876 people in 2005.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in New Caledonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 40,591 people in 1950.
- How does New Caledonia rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- New Caledonia ranks 174th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in New Caledonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Caledonia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.