Photo: Benedict Adam · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 05 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Cook Islands: Health & Wellbeing
How long, and how well fed, do people live?
Cook Islands is placed 98th of 200 countries on health & wellbeing in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Life Expectancy at Birth 75.28 (2023); Under-Five Mortality Rate 13.34 (2024).
Share
Health & Wellbeing
98th
of 200 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 4 key statistics
Not placed in the Country Index 2026 overall: measured on too few topics.
- 75.28Life Expectancy at Birth, 2023Years a newborn would live at current death rates
- 13.34Under-Five Mortality Rate, 2024Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)
- —Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five, 2024No reading for this country
- —Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity, 2024No reading for this country
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Cook Islands on health & wellbeing — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Life Expectancy at Birth
UN DESA Population Division
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
75.28
Years a newborn would live at current death rates
Higher is better
Cook Islands: 75.28. Across the 222 countries in this edition, values run from 54.46 (Nigeria) to 86.37 (Monaco); the world median is 74.63.
- World median
- 74.63
- Best in Polynesia
- 84.07 French Polynesia
Key 2 of 4
Under-Five Mortality Rate
UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
13.34
Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)
Lower is better
Cook Islands: 13.34. Across the 200 countries in this edition, values run from 1.26 (San Marino) to 115.65 (Nigeria); the world median is 14.54.
- World median
- 14.54
- Best in Polynesia
- 9.513 Tonga
Key 3 of 4
Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five
UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates)
Latest reading per country, 2014–2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
No reading
Children under 5 who are stunted (%)
Lower is better
UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates) publishes no reading from 2014–2024 for Cook Islands, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 162 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0.518 (Latvia) to 52.8 (Burundi); the world median is 13.8.
- World median
- 13.8
- Best in Polynesia
- 2.177 Tonga
Key 4 of 4
Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Population in severe food insecurity (%)
Lower is better
FAO publishes no 2024 figure for Cook Islands, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 125 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Brazil) to 62.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 4.9.
- World median
- 4.9
- Best in Polynesia
- 4.5 Samoa
02Over time
Which way Cook Islands is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Life Expectancy at Birth
Years a newborn would live at current death rates · higher is better
Cook IslandsWorld median
Cook Islands rose from 69.85 in 2000 to 75.28 in 2023; the world median went from 70.68 to 74.63.
Every year’s figures
Year Cook Islands World median 2023 75.28 74.630 2022 75.08 74.313 2021 74.58 72.433 2020 74.51 73.063 2019 74.56 74.196 2018 74.44 74.081 2017 74.32 74.029 2016 74.16 74.013 2015 74.02 73.783 2014 73.83 73.330 2013 73.61 73.386 2012 73.32 73.210 2011 73.05 73.003 2010 72.75 72.827 2009 72.44 72.426 2008 72.12 72.264 2007 71.78 72.113 2006 71.45 72.027 2005 71.17 71.876 2004 70.87 71.477 2003 70.58 71.409 2002 70.34 71.173 2001 70.09 70.926 2000 69.85 70.678 Under-Five Mortality Rate
Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births) · lower is better
Cook IslandsWorld median
Cook Islands fell from 18.66 in 2000 to 13.34 in 2024; the world median went from 30.43 to 14.54.
Every year’s figures
Year Cook Islands World median 2024 13.34 14.5 2023 13.65 15.2 2022 13.92 14.7 2021 14.16 15.1 2020 14.30 15.3 2019 14.33 15.7 2018 14.20 16.3 2017 13.96 16.8 2016 13.68 17.5 2015 13.40 17.9 2014 13.13 18.3 2013 12.91 18.7 2012 12.77 18.8 2011 12.72 19.0 2010 12.82 19.2 2009 13.05 20.8 2008 13.42 20.7 2007 13.91 21.8 2006 14.50 22.8 2005 15.14 24.0 2004 15.81 25.9 2003 16.50 26.9 2002 17.18 28.0 2001 17.90 29.1 2000 18.66 30.4
03In context
Cook Islands beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 200 countries on health & wellbeing, never a place within the region.
Cook Islands and Polynesia
Cook Islands has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 200; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Life Expectancy at BirthYears a newborn would live at current death rates | Under-Five Mortality RateDeaths before age five (per 1,000 live births) | Stunting Prevalence in Children Under FiveChildren under 5 who are stunted (%) | Prevalence of Severe Food InsecurityPopulation in severe food insecurity (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tonga | 64th | 72.89 | 9.513 | 2.177 | — |
 Samoa | 95th | 71.7 | 14.86 | 7.293 | 4.5 |
| Cook Islands | 98th | 75.28 | 13.34 | — | — |
 Tuvalu | 106th | 67.1 | 19.17 | 5.676 | — |
 Niue | 142nd | 69.98 | 23.79 | — | — |
 American Samoa | not placed | 72.85 | — | — | — |
 French Polynesia | not placed | 84.07 | — | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Polynesia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 200.
Placed either side on health & wellbeing
The countries immediately above and below Cook Islands in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Cook Islands is ahead of the world, and behind
18 more statistics filed under health & wellbeing, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median13
Statistics on which Cook Islands does better than the middle country measured.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.650.1146.65No real change since 2013
Cook Islands: 0.11 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 195th of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.
PM2.5 Air Pollution ExposureAtmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis · 2023 · world median 14.452.514.45No real change since 2013
Cook Islands: 2.5 · world median 14.45 · Population-weighted PM2.5 concentration (µg/m³). Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 68.2; lower is better.
Position 220th of 220 · derived, 1st = worst.
Days Above 35°CECMWF · 2025 · world median 3.4803.48No real change since 2015
Cook Islands: 0 · world median 3.48 · Days a year with a maximum temperature above 35°C, averaged over the country’s land. World Bank Group (Climate Change Knowledge Portal), from Copernicus ERA5 (ECMWF), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 222.89; lower is better.
Institutional DeliveriesUNICEF · 2025 · world median 96.999.696.9No earlier reading
Cook Islands: 99.6 · world median 96.9 · Live births delivered in a health facility (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.5 to 100; higher is better.
HPV Vaccination Coverage, GirlsWUENIC · 2025 · world median 65.58465.5▲ Improved since 2018
Cook Islands: 84 · world median 65.5 · Girls in the target group given the final dose of HPV vaccine (%). WHO and UNICEF (WUENIC), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1 to 99; higher is better.
Immunisation Coverage, Measles First Dose (MCV1)WUENIC · 2025 · world median 909690▼ Worsened since 2015
Cook Islands: 96 · world median 90 · Infants given a first dose of measles vaccine (%). WHO and UNICEF (WUENIC), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 13 to 99; higher is better.
Immunisation Coverage, DTP3WUENIC · 2025 · world median 919591▼ Worsened since 2015
Cook Islands: 95 · world median 91 · Infants given a third dose of DTP vaccine (%). WHO and UNICEF (WUENIC), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 39 to 99; higher is better.
Stillbirth RateUN IGME · 2023 · world median 8.1636.5948.163▼ Worsened since 2013
Cook Islands: 6.594 · world median 8.163 · Stillbirths (per 1,000 total births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 1.18 to 34.9; lower is better.
Position 118th of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.4620.5827.46▲ Improved since 2013
Cook Islands: 20.58 · world median 27.46 · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.465 to 163.09; lower is better.
Position 130th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Neonatal Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 8.1347.0338.134▼ Worsened since 2014
Cook Islands: 7.033 · world median 8.134 · Deaths in the first 28 days (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.544 to 39.47; lower is better.
Position 112th of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Infant Mortality RateUN IGME · 2024 · world median 12.2611.3112.26▼ Worsened since 2014
Cook Islands: 11.31 · world median 12.26 · Deaths before age one (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.214 to 71.87; lower is better.
Position 107th of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
Life Expectancy at Age 65UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 16.3916.5816.39▲ Improved since 2013
Cook Islands: 16.58 · world median 16.39 · Further years a 65-year-old would live at current death rates. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 12.13 to 23.21; higher is better.
Position 106th of 222 · derived.
Adult Mortality (Probability of Dying Between 15 and 60)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 133.7133.04133.7No real change since 2013
Cook Islands: 133.04 · world median 133.7 · Deaths before age 60 per 1,000 people alive at 15, at that year's death rates. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 25.15 to 415.44; lower is better.
Position 113th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Behind the world median3
Statistics on which Cook Islands does worse than the middle country measured.
Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 71.2571.271.25▼ Worsened since 2013
Cook Islands: 71.2 · world median 71.25 · Share of women aged 15–49 wanting to avoid pregnancy who use a modern method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.4 to 92.4; higher is better.
Position 99th of 196 · derived.
Low Birthweight PrevalenceUNICEF and WHO (Joint Low Birthweight Estimates) · 2020 · world median 10.2110.2610.21▼ Worsened since 2010
Cook Islands: 10.26 · world median 10.21 · Live births weighing under 2,500 g (%). UNICEF and WHO (Joint Low Birthweight Estimates), 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 3.993 to 27.44; lower is better.
Position 78th of 158 · derived, 1st = worst.
Mortality Rate, Ages 5–14UN IGME · 2024 · world median 2.8583.0932.858▼ Worsened since 2014
Cook Islands: 3.093 · world median 2.858 · Deaths between ages 5 and 14 (per 1,000 children aged 5). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.392 to 59.04; lower is better.
Position 94th of 200 · derived, 1st = worst.
No better end2
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Contraceptive Prevalence (Any Method)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 41.2548.241.25No real change since 2013
Cook Islands: 48.2 · world median 41.25 · Share of all women aged 15–49 using any contraceptive method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 6.6 to 78.7.
Modern Contraceptive PrevalenceUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 35.442.935.4Moved since 2013
Cook Islands: 42.9 · world median 35.4 · Share of all women aged 15–49 using a modern contraceptive method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2 to 73.8.
No current reading for Cook Islands
Adults Who Have Been Too Anxious or Depressed to Carry On, Agreement That Vaccines Are Safe, Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Average Weekly Hours Worked, Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff (last 2009), Caesarean Section Rate, Care-Seeking for Children with Symptoms of Pneumonia, Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health Spending, Children with Functional Difficulties, Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption, Cost of a Healthy Diet, Dietary Energy Supply, Early Initiation of Breastfeeding, Excess Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six Months, Fatal Occupational Injuries, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Fish and Seafood Supply per Person, Fruit Supply per Person, Gender Inequality Index, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, Global Report on Food Crises, Human Capital Index, Human Development Index, INFORM Severity Index, Insecticide-Treated Net Use, Malaria Incidence (P. falciparum), Malaria Incidence (P. vivax), Malaria Mortality (P. falciparum), Meat Supply per Person, Minimum Dietary Diversity, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Oral Rehydration Salts for Children with Diarrhoea, Overweight Prevalence in Children Under Five, Pesticide Use per Hectare, Postnatal Care for Newborns Within Two Days, Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity, Prevalence of Undernourishment, Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Share of Dietary Energy Supply from Cereals, Roots and Tubers, Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet, Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five, Vegetable Supply per Person, Violent Discipline of Children and Wasting Prevalence in Children Under Five. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Health & Wellbeing among Cook Islands’s 4 topics
Health & Wellbeing is Cook Islands’s 4th best-placed topic of 4. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Development & Human Capital1st of 1962/3 keys
- Energy61st of 1652/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge91st of 1983/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing98th of 2002/4 keys
No standing on Governance & Institutions, Economy & Innovation, Work & Labour, Environment & Sustainability, Gender & Equality, Democracy & Civil Liberties, Peace & Security, Risk & Resilience, Mobility & Trade, Food & Agriculture, Poverty & Inequality, Digital & Technology: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on health & wellbeing
The three countries placed highest of 200, and the leaders Cook Islands can most readily be measured against.
1
San MarinoSouthern Europe
1st of 200 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Matl derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
MonacoWestern Europe
2nd of 200 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Martin Weber derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
AndorraSouthern Europe
3rd of 200 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Tiia Monto derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest placed on all 4 keys
South Korea5th4/4 keysHighest in Oceania
Australia38th3/4 keysHighest in Polynesia
Tonga64th3/4 keysThis page
Cook Islands98th2/4 keys
Positions out of 200 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Cook Islands and health & wellbeing
On health & wellbeing
Global Hunger Index 2025: Countries with the Most Alarming Hunger Crisis
Thirteen countries scored across four editions — 2000, 2008, 2016 and 2025 — and five the report could not score at all. DR Congo and South Sudan share 121st place on 37.5.
On health & wellbeing
World Happiness Report 2025: Finland Leads Again as the US and UK Face Major Declines
The ten highest life evaluations of 2025, drawn on a world map, and the six things the report uses to explain them. Costa Rica and Mexico are the only two outside Europe and the Middle East.
08Questions
Cook Islands on health & wellbeing: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Cook Islands rank on health & wellbeing?
Cook Islands is placed 98th of 200 countries on Health & Wellbeing in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics (Life Expectancy at Birth and Under-Five Mortality Rate). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Life Expectancy at Birth figure for Cook Islands?
75.28 in 2023 (years a newborn would live at current death rates), according to UN DESA Population Division. The world median in the same edition was 74.63.
What is the latest Under-Five Mortality Rate figure for Cook Islands?
13.34 in 2024 (deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)), according to UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The world median in the same edition was 14.54.
How have Cook Islands’s health & wellbeing figures changed?
Life Expectancy at Birth rose from 69.85 in 2000 to 75.28 in 2023; Under-Five Mortality Rate fell from 18.66 in 2000 to 13.34 in 2024.
Which health & wellbeing statistics are missing for Cook Islands?
No current reading is published for Cook Islands on Adults Who Have Been Too Anxious or Depressed to Carry On, Agreement That Vaccines Are Safe, Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Average Weekly Hours Worked, Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff, Caesarean Section Rate, Care-Seeking for Children with Symptoms of Pneumonia, Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health Spending, Children with Functional Difficulties, Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption, Cost of a Healthy Diet, Dietary Energy Supply, Early Initiation of Breastfeeding, Excess Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six Months, Fatal Occupational Injuries, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Fish and Seafood Supply per Person, Fruit Supply per Person, Gender Inequality Index, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, Global Report on Food Crises, Human Capital Index, Human Development Index, INFORM Severity Index, Insecticide-Treated Net Use, Malaria Incidence (P. falciparum), Malaria Incidence (P. vivax), Malaria Mortality (P. falciparum), Meat Supply per Person, Minimum Dietary Diversity, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Oral Rehydration Salts for Children with Diarrhoea, Overweight Prevalence in Children Under Five, Pesticide Use per Hectare, Postnatal Care for Newborns Within Two Days, Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity, Prevalence of Undernourishment, Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Share of Dietary Energy Supply from Cereals, Roots and Tubers, Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet, Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five, Vegetable Supply per Person, Violent Discipline of Children and Wasting Prevalence in Children Under Five. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Health spending, hospital beds and doctors per person are not measured, because more of any of them does not guarantee better outcomes. Mental health and self-reported happiness are not part of this topic. Food supply per person is measured under Food & Agriculture. Maternal mortality and many other indicators are published here as context; maternal mortality is a key in Development & Human Capital instead.
How the Health & Wellbeing standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The health & wellbeing method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Life Expectancy at Birth — UN DESA Population Division, CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Under-Five Mortality Rate — UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Stunting Prevalence in Children Under Five — UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 18 statistics on this page come from 8 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Cook Islands’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Cook Islands (banner) — Benedict Adam, CC BY 2.0
- San Marino — Matl derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Monaco — Martin Weber derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Andorra — Tiia Monto derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Cook Islands: Health & Wellbeing — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/cook-islands/health