Photo: File: Msdstefan at de.wikipedia derivative work: Lkcl it · CC BY-SA 2.0 de · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Niue places highest on HPV Vaccination Coverage, Girls (top 1% worldwide) and lowest on Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (bottom 2%).
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Niue in the Nations Inquiry Country Index
Niue appears in 66 of the statistics tracked here, but is not placed in the Country Index: the index needs a standing on three quarters of its topics, and Niue is measured on too few of them. Every published reading below is unaffected.
At a glance
Population
1,817
people
since 1950
Land area
259
km²
since 1961
Life expectancy
69.98
years at birth
since 1950
The newest published figure for each, the year it describes and who published it, with a line showing how it has moved.
01The country
About Niue
Niue rises from the South Pacific as a single uplifted coral island, self-governing and freely associated with New Zealand, whose citizenship Niueans hold. Islanders call it the Rock: grey limestone cliffs ring the coast, cut by chasms, arches and sea caves such as Togo Chasm and the Talava Arches. There are no rivers, since rain sinks through the limestone, and a reef platform rather than beaches meets the waves. From July to October humpback whales calve close enough to watch from the cliffs.
Settlers came from Samoa and later Tonga, and for a time the island chose kings, the patuiki, from among its chiefs. James Cook met a hostile reception in 1774 and named it Savage Island. Christianity arrived in the 1840s through Niuean and Samoan mission teachers. A British protectorate was declared in 1900 and New Zealand annexed Niue the next year. The island began governing itself in October 1974, and in January 2004 Cyclone Heta smashed into the west coast, destroying houses and the hospital.
Family ceremonies mark coming of age: a boy’s first haircut and a girl’s ear-piercing are celebrated with feasts and gifts of money and woven mats. Uga, the coconut crab, is a prized delicacy, and taro is planted in pockets of soil between the coral. Most Niueans live in New Zealand, so the island leans on New Zealand aid, on visitors drawn by reef walks and dark night skies, and on small exports of vanilla, noni and honey.
Key facts about Niue
- Capital
- Alofi
- Official languages
- English, Niuean
- Currencies
- Niue dollar, New Zealand dollar (NZD)
- ISO code
- NIU · NU
- Domain · dialling
- .nu · +683
As Wikidata records them. Official languages are the least consistent — some countries list only a national language, others every regional one. Sources and licences.
02Country Index 2026
Where it stands, topic by topic
Strongest first. Each position is Niue’s place among the countries with a standing on that topic, built from a few key statistics chosen to measure different things.
133rdof 198
From 2 of 4 key statistics
142ndof 200
From 2 of 4 key statistics
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Niue holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
Each standing is built from a few key statistics chosen to measure different things. Select a subject for Niue’s readings on it, or see every statistic held for Niue in the table further down this page.
03Highs and lows
Where Niue stands out
The two ends of its own record: every statistic on which Niue sits within ten places of the best or worst in the world, plus its strongest and weakest readings overall. Each is turned into a percentile — its place among every country measured — which is what lets a hunger score and a press-freedom rank be compared at all.
Where Niue does best5
In the top third of all countries measured. 1 is within ten places of the best in the world, in a field of at least 50 countries — marked with that place.
- 4th
Position · derived 217th of 220 · 1 = worst · 3 · 2023
world median 14.45 (better)
Not ranked by the publisher · 99 · 2025
world median 65.5 (better) · ▲ 15 pts since 2021
Not ranked by the publisher · 99 · 2025
world median 90 (better) · ▲ 2 pts since 2015
Not ranked by the publisher · 81.95 · 2023
world median 43.8 (better)
Where Niue struggles most5
In the bottom third of all countries measured. 2 are within ten places of the worst in the world, in a field of at least 50 countries — marked with that place.
- 6thLiner Shipping Connectivity Indexbottom 2%
Rank 170th of 175 · 5.762 · 2026
world median 56.21 (worse)
- 7thPre-Primary Net Enrolment Ratebottom 5%
Position · derived 114th of 120 · 20 · 2024
world median 65.93 (worse) · ▲ 5 pts since 2014
- Life Expectancy at Age 65bottom 24%
Position · derived 170th of 222 · 14.06 · 2023
world median 16.39 (worse)
- Government Effectivenessbottom 24%
Position · derived 160th of 209 · -0.707 · 2025
world median 0.101 (worse)
- Mortality Rate, Ages 5–14bottom 28%
Position · derived 57th of 200 · 1 = worst · 4.993 · 2024
world median 2.858 (worse)
A band is a place among the countries each publisher scores, so Niue can move because other countries moved. See the Country Index for the full method.
04In context
Niue and its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place in the world ranking, not within the region.
Shares a land border with
Niue has no land border with another country.
Across Polynesia
Every country in the sub-region, by its position in the world.
- 89
Samoa - =97
Tonga - —
American Samoanot placed - —
Cook Islandsnot placed - —
French Polynesianot placed - —
Niuenot placed - —
Tuvalunot placed
05The evidence
Every statistic we hold for Niue
Grouped by topic. Each row gives the newest edition’s rank or position, the published value and the year the numbers describe. Select a statistic for this country’s row beside every other country, the world median and every edition.
Governance & Institutions9
- Child and Family Benefit CoverageILO · Children or households with children receiving child or family cash benefits (%)top 21%84.52024
- Control of CorruptionWorld Bank Group · Control of Corruption (−2.5 to 2.5)132nd of 211position · derived-0.4522025
- Disability Benefit CoverageILO · People with severe disabilities receiving disability benefits (%)bottom 39%21.62025
- Government EffectivenessWorld Bank Group · Governance estimate (−2.5 weak to 2.5 strong)160th of 209position · derived-0.7072025
- Old-Age Pension CoverageILO · People above statutory pensionable age receiving an old-age pension (%)top 15%1002025
- Regulatory QualityWorld Bank Group · Regulatory Quality (−2.5 to 2.5)148th of 209position · derived-0.6222025
- Rule of LawWorld Bank Group · Rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)105th of 211position · derived-0.0572025
- Voice and AccountabilityWorld Bank Group · Voice and Accountability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)115th of 206position · derived-0.1972025
Economy & Innovation5
- Export Concentration IndexUNCTAD · Export concentration index (0–1, normalised Herfindahl–Hirschman)top 44%0.3412025
- Liner Shipping Connectivity IndexUNCTAD · LSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100)170th of 175rank5.7622026
- Scholarly ArticlesOurResearch · Articles with at least one author at an institution in the country (full counting)bottom 5%132025
- Tax Revenue (% of GDP)OECD · Total tax revenue, all levels of government (% of GDP)top 33%28.462024
- Terms of Trade IndexUNCTAD · Terms of trade index (2015 = 100)bottom 1%38.22025
Education & Knowledge11
- Adult Literacy RateUIS · Adults 15+ who can read and write (%)30th of 172position · derived99.072024
- Minimum Proficiency in Mathematics, End of PrimaryUIS · Pupils at the end of primary reaching minimum proficiency in mathematics (%)top 9%81.952023
- Minimum Proficiency in Reading, End of PrimaryUIS · Pupils at the end of primary reaching minimum proficiency in reading (%)top 36%80.972023
- Out-of-School Rate, Lower Secondary AgeUIS · Out-of-school rate, lower secondary age (%)40th of 116position · derived · 1 = worst12.072024
- Participation in Organised Learning One Year Before PrimaryUIS · Children one year before primary entry age in organised learning (%)63rd of 112position · derived83.22024
- Pre-Primary Net Enrolment RateUIS · Net enrolment rate, pre-primary (%)114th of 120position · derived202024
- Primary Schools with ElectricityUIS · Primary schools with access to electricity (%)top 30%1002024
- Primary Schools with Internet for TeachingUIS · Primary schools with internet access for teaching (%)top 22%1002024
- Pupils per Qualified Teacher, PrimaryUIS · Primary pupils per qualified teacher (headcount basis)67th of 92position · derived · 1 = worst152024
- Qualified Teachers in Primary EducationUIS · Primary teachers with the minimum qualifications their country requires (%)top 14%1002024
- Youth Literacy RateUIS · 15–24 year-olds who can read and write (%)top 1%1002024
Health & Wellbeing14
- Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19139th of 222position · derived · 1 = worst16.592023
- Adult Mortality (Probability of Dying Between 15 and 60)UN DESA Population Division · Deaths before age 60 per 1,000 people alive at 15, at that year's death rates68th of 222position · derived · 1 = worst178.472023
- Days Above 35°CECMWF · Days a year with a maximum temperature above 35°C, averaged over the country’s landtop 16%02025
- HPV Vaccination Coverage, GirlsWUENIC · Girls in the target group given the final dose of HPV vaccine (%)top 1%992025
- Immunisation Coverage, DTP3WUENIC · Infants given a third dose of DTP vaccine (%)top 33%952025
- Immunisation Coverage, Measles First Dose (MCV1)WUENIC · Infants given a first dose of measles vaccine (%)top 4%992025
- Infant Mortality RateUN IGME · Deaths before age one (per 1,000 live births)65th of 200position · derived · 1 = worst22.212024
- Life Expectancy at Age 65UN DESA Population Division · Further years a 65-year-old would live at current death rates170th of 222position · derived14.062023
- Life Expectancy at BirthUN DESA Population Division · Years a newborn would live at current death rates157th of 222position · derived69.982023
- Mortality Rate, Ages 5–14UN IGME · Deaths between ages 5 and 14 (per 1,000 children aged 5)57th of 200position · derived · 1 = worst4.9932024
- Neonatal Mortality RateUN IGME · Deaths in the first 28 days (per 1,000 live births)71st of 200position · derived · 1 = worst12.432024
- PM2.5 Air Pollution ExposureAtmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis · Population-weighted PM2.5 concentration (µg/m³)217th of 220position · derived · 1 = worst32023
- Stillbirth RateUN IGME · Stillbirths (per 1,000 total births)83rd of 200position · derived · 1 = worst9.1992023
- Under-Five Mortality RateUN IGME · Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)68th of 200position · derived · 1 = worst23.792024
Environment & Sustainability4
- CO₂ Emissions per CapitaGlobal Carbon Project · Fossil CO₂ (tonnes per person)81st of 210position · derived · 1 = worst4.1932024
- Fisheries and Aquaculture ProductionFAO · Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals caught or farmed, tonnes (live weight)bottom 4%352024
- Methane EmissionsEDGAR · Methane emissions (gigagrams of CH₄)bottom 1%0.0482025
- Solar Electricity Installed CapacityEIA · Solar generating capacity installed (gigawatts)bottom 8%0.0022024
Gender & Equality2
- Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · Singulate mean age at marriage, women (years)bottom 50%24.62019
- Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · Male births per 100 female birthstop 9%107.12023
Peace & Security2
- Political Stability and Absence of ViolenceWorld Bank Group · Political Stability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)44th of 211position · derived1.0122025
- Refugees by Country of OriginUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · Refugees under UNHCR's mandate from this country, end of year (people)bottom 6%52025
Mobility & Trade4
- EmigrantsUN DESA Population Division · Migrants from the country living abroad, mid-year (people)bottom 11%4,9552024
- International MigrantsUN DESA Population Division · International migrants living in the country, mid-year (people)bottom 1%5882024
- Net Migration RateUN DESA Population Division · Net migrants per 1,000 populationtop 44%02023
Energy2
- Crude Oil ProductionEIA · Crude oil produced (thousand barrels per day)bottom 26%02025
- Natural Gas ProductionEIA · Dry natural gas produced (billion cubic metres)bottom 27%02024
People & Population13
- Crude Birth RateUN DESA Population Division · Births per 1,000 populationtop 49%13.872023
- Crude Death RateUN DESA Population Division · Deaths per 1,000 populationtop 2%14.722023
- Mean Age at ChildbearingUN DESA Population Division · Mean age of mothers at the birth of their children (years)top 49%29.112023
- Median Age of the PopulationUN DESA Population Division · Median age (years)top 34%36.552023
- Population Aged 65 and OverUN DESA Population Division · Share of the total population aged 65 and over (%)top 27%15.92023
- Population DensityUN DESA Population Division · People per square kilometre of landbottom 5%6.992023
- Population Growth RateUN DESA Population Division · Population growth (% per year)bottom 14%-0.2752023
- Population Living in Cities (Degree of Urbanisation)UN DESA Population Division · Share of the population living in cities as the Degree of Urbanisation defines them (%)bottom 8%02025
- Population Under Age 15UN DESA Population Division · Share of the total population aged 0–14 (%)top 49%23.362023
- Sex Ratio of the Total PopulationUN DESA Population Division · Males per 100 femalesbottom 14%93.042023
- Total Dependency RatioUN DESA Population Division · People aged 0–14 and 65+ per 100 people aged 15–64top 26%64.632023
- Total Fertility RateUN DESA Population Division · Live births per womantop 35%2.5142023
06Method
Sources and how to read them
How to read this page
- The scores and ranks belong to their publishers. Nothing is adjusted, rescaled or re-ranked; each is reproduced from the edition named beside it. Where a row says position · derived, the publisher ranks nobody on that measure and the position is ours, made by ordering the published score.
- Each statistic shows its newest edition, which is not always the edition the Country Index uses: the index pins every source to one data year so its average compares like with like.
How a standing is built from percentiles, why Niue can move because other countries moved, and why publishers measure between 120 and 215 countries each are set out in full in how a standing is made and what a standing cannot tell you.
Sources
- Statistics: 16 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
- Capital, languages, currency, codes: Wikidata, public domain (CC0).
- Map and land borders: Natural Earth, public domain. Borders are de facto — where administration actually changes — not claimed.
Photographs
The photograph of Niue on this page comes from Wikimedia Commons and is shown in greyscale. The photographer and the licence are named beside each one.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Niue: country statistics, rankings and trends. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/niue