Northern Mariana Islands population pyramid 2026
42,914 people in 2026 (projected). The Northern Mariana Islands’ population peaked in 2000, when migrant garment workers made women in their twenties outnumber men by two to one.
- 2026 population
- 42.9Krank 215 of 237
- Median age
- 38.8 yearsoldest rank 77
- Fertility rate
- 2.24births per woman · above replacement
- Structure
- Transitional11.9% age 65+
Northern Mariana Islands population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Northern Mariana Islands age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 20.4% of the population, while 11.9% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 67.7% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Northern Mariana Islands’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 47.7: about 48 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (30.2 children and 17.5 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Northern Mariana Islands’s population pyramid
Boom and departure
The Northern Mariana Islands grew from about 7,000 people in 1950 to more than 68,000 in 2000, in large part through immigration: the UN estimates a net inflow of about 33,000 between 1950 and 1999. In the 1980s and 1990s Saipan’s garment factories recruited tens of thousands of foreign workers, most of them young women, while tourism and construction drew many men. The 2000 pyramid shows both: women aged 20–29 outnumber men by more than two to one, while men predominate from 35 to 59.
The garment industry closed in the late 2000s, and the flow reversed. Net emigration between 2000 and 2023 was about 46,000, and the population fell to about 43,000 by 2026.
What remains
The 2026 pyramid is shaped by who stayed. The widest band is 55–59, people who were in their late twenties and early thirties in 2000, and the 25–29 band is a notch about 30% smaller than its neighbours. Men now outnumber women overall, about 113 to 100. With bands of only a few hundred to about 4,000 people, sex ratios and individual bulges such as the 15–19 band (born 2007–11) are sensitive to small movements, and the chart alone cannot establish why particular cohorts are larger.
The current structure most resembles those of Wallis and Futuna, the Cook Islands and Réunion; neighbouring Guam offers a useful contrast. Under the UN medium scenario the population stays near 43,000 to 2050, and deaths first exceed births in 2047. The guide to sex ratios by age shows how migration can produce imbalances like those of 2000.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25–29 | 1997–2001 | Notch (smaller cohort) | −30% |
| 15–19 | 2007–2011 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +19% |
| 55–59 | 1967–1971 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +13% |
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2047. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2035.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Northern Mariana Islands is projected to record 468 births (about 1 births a day) and 238 deaths, a natural increase of 230. Net migration adds −790 people, ranking #231 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 27,010 births, 4,311 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −46,207. Over that period migration moved the total more than the balance of births and deaths did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −3,167 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 81.1 years61.8 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 77.6 years55.6 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 18.1 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 4.5per 1,000 births · 46 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 5.8per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 29.2 yearssex ratio at birth 115.1
Women in Northern Mariana Islands are projected to live 3.5 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 46 to 4.5 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #183 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 29.2 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Northern Mariana Islands
The median age of 38.8 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 2.24 births per woman is above the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 79.2 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 42,914 | #215 | Largest first |
| Median age | 38.8 years | #77 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 2.24 | #88 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | -1.3% | #233 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 79.2 years | #67 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 11.9% | #108 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Northern Mariana Islands
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55–59 | 3,902 | 9.1% | 2K / 1.9K |
| 2 | 15–19 | 3,838 | 8.9% | 2K / 1.8K |
| 3 | 50–54 | 3,542 | 8.3% | 1.9K / 1.7K |
| 4 | 60–64 | 3,358 | 7.8% | 1.8K / 1.6K |
| 5 | 10–14 | 3,356 | 7.8% | 1.8K / 1.6K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Northern Mariana Islands has 22,740 males and 20,174 females. That is 112.7 males per 100 females, ranking #13 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 53.0% of the population and females for 47.0%. There are 2,566 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 106.8 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 115.1 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, above the biological norm of about 105 (see the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Northern Mariana Islands has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 7,110 in 1950 to 42,914 in 2026, a change of 504%. Over the same span, median age moved from 18.2 to 38.8 years.
The under-15 share changed from 41.4% to 20.4%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.0% to 11.9%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Northern Mariana Islands’s population is projected to remain broadly stable, reaching 42,764 in 2050. The median age changes from 38.8 to 39.7 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 14.8 percentage points to 26.7%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 18.7%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest estimated population of 68,356 in 2000. Historical population totals are estimates rather than exact head counts. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7,110 | 18.2 | 6.08 | 58.2 | 319 | 71 | −125 | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 8,736 | 13.7 | 5.96 | 61.4 | 302 | 68 | +17 | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 10,170 | 14.3 | 7.44 | 64.8 | 422 | 62 | +480 | +8.3% |
| 1980 | 17,625 | 18.8 | 3.65 | 68.3 | 491 | 85 | +1,497 | +10.8% |
| 1990 | 43,342 | 26.3 | 2.34 | 70.0 | 1,212 | 181 | +266 | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 68,356 | 27.8 | 1.64 | 74.9 | 1,501 | 180 | −950 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 54,091 | 32.6 | 2.98 | 77.8 | 1,118 | 158 | −1,587 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 47,528 | 33.6 | 2.49 | 78.0 | 736 | 197 | −755 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 45,143 | 36.1 | 2.35 | 78.8 | 583 | 212 | −1,321 | -2.1% |
| 2024* | 44,278 | 37.1 | 2.32 | 78.9 | 536 | 220 | −1,097 | -1.8% |
| 2026* | 42,914 | 38.8 | 2.24 | 79.2 | 468 | 238 | −790 | -1.3% |
| 2030* | 41,785 | 41.1 | 2.12 | 79.8 | 438 | 281 | −306 | -0.3% |
| 2040* | 42,175 | 39.0 | 1.97 | 81.3 | 566 | 425 | −52 | +0.2% |
| 2050* | 42,764 | 39.7 | 1.91 | 82.7 | 472 | 551 | +38 | -0.1% |
| 2060* | 41,818 | 41.8 | 1.87 | 84.0 | 399 | 560 | +8 | -0.3% |
| 2070* | 41,241 | 42.4 | 1.84 | 85.3 | 465 | 461 | −13 | -0.0% |
| 2080* | 41,899 | 42.8 | 1.82 | 86.5 | 427 | 380 | +48 | +0.2% |
| 2090* | 42,374 | 45.9 | 1.80 | 87.6 | 368 | 398 | +10 | -0.1% |
| 2100* | 41,611 | 48.2 | 1.78 | 88.7 | 380 | 502 | 0 | -0.3% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 1,361 | 1,152 | 2,513 | 5.9% |
| 5–9 | 1,563 | 1,339 | 2,902 | 6.8% |
| 10–14 | 1,759 | 1,597 | 3,356 | 7.8% |
| 15–19 | 2,010 | 1,828 | 3,838 | 8.9% |
| 20–24 | 1,632 | 1,446 | 3,078 | 7.2% |
| 25–29 | 981 | 764 | 1,745 | 4.1% |
| 30–34 | 1,010 | 888 | 1,898 | 4.4% |
| 35–39 | 1,224 | 1,000 | 2,224 | 5.2% |
| 40–44 | 1,311 | 1,163 | 2,474 | 5.8% |
| 45–49 | 1,585 | 1,416 | 3,001 | 7.0% |
| 50–54 | 1,863 | 1,679 | 3,542 | 8.3% |
| 55–59 | 2,015 | 1,887 | 3,902 | 9.1% |
| 60–64 | 1,801 | 1,557 | 3,358 | 7.8% |
| 65–69 | 1,338 | 1,151 | 2,489 | 5.8% |
| 70–74 | 742 | 717 | 1,459 | 3.4% |
| 75–79 | 359 | 345 | 704 | 1.6% |
| 80–84 | 128 | 147 | 275 | 0.6% |
| 85–89 | 44 | 69 | 113 | 0.3% |
| 90–94 | 15 | 28 | 43 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Northern Mariana Islands’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Wallis and Futuna Islands93% overlap · median age 38.6
- Cook Islands92% overlap · median age 38.1
- Réunion91% overlap · median age 38.4
- Niue91% overlap · median age 35.1
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines90% overlap · median age 34.7
- Palau90% overlap · median age 38.9
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Northern Mariana Islands.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Northern Mariana Islands Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/northern-mariana-islands/
MLA
“Northern Mariana Islands Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/northern-mariana-islands/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Northern Mariana Islands Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/northern-mariana-islands/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Northern Mariana Islands in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Northern Mariana Islands's population in 2026 is projected at 42,914.
What is the median age in Northern Mariana Islands?
The projected median age in Northern Mariana Islands in 2026 is 38.8 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Northern Mariana Islands?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 2.24 births per woman, above the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Northern Mariana Islands's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will remain broadly stable, from 42.9K to 42.8K.
What share of Northern Mariana Islands is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 11.9% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 26.7%.
How many babies are born in Northern Mariana Islands each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 468 births and 238 deaths in 2026, about 1 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 230.
What is life expectancy in Northern Mariana Islands for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 81.1 years for women and 77.6 years for men, a gap of 3.5 years in favour of women.
Does Northern Mariana Islands have more immigrants or emigrants?
Northern Mariana Islands is projected to lose about 790 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −46,207.
What is the sex ratio in Northern Mariana Islands?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 112.7 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.