National Identity
- Official name
- Tuvalu
- Name etymology
the name in the local language means "group of eight" or "eight standing together," referring to eight of the country's nine islands; the remaining island, Nui, was left out of the original grouping because its inhabitants spoke a different language; the former name was given in honor of Canadian shipping company owner Alexander Ellice, who owned a ship that visited the islands in 1819
Sources:- The Constitution of Tuvalu Act 2023 ↗ - Tuvalu Government on-line legislation - Office of the Attorney General
- The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Coat of arms
- National flag
- The Tuvalu National Flag has an azure blue background with nine yellow stars lying diagonally across the right side from the top right-hand corner. In the top left-hand corner is the Union flag.
As published by the Tuvalu Attorney General's Chambers As published in EnglishSource:- tuvalu-legislation.tv ↗ - the Tuvalu Attorney General's Chambers
- National anthem
- Tuvalu mo te Atua1:21
- Title (in Tuvaluan)
- Tuvalu mo te Atua
- Title (in English)
- Tuvalu for the Almighty
- Lyrics
1“Tuvalu mo te Atua” Ko te Fakavae sili, Ko te alu foki tena, O te manuia katoa; Loto lasi o fai, Tou malo saoloto; Fusi ake katoa Ki te loto alofa; Kae amo fakatasi Ate atu fenua. “Tuvalu mo te Atua” Ki te se gata mai!
2Tuku atu tau pulega Ki te pule mai luga, Kilo tonu ki ou mua Me ko ia e tautai. “Pule tasi mo ia” Ki te se gata mai, Ko tena mana Ko tou malosi tena. Pati lima kae kalaga Ulufonu ki te tupu. “Tuvalu ko tu saoloto” Ki te se gata mai.
- Citizens
- Tuvaluans
- Official name:The Constitution of Tuvalu Act 2023 ↗ - Tuvalu Government on-line legislation - Office of the Attorney General
- Official name, Citizens:The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Coat of arms:Image credit
- National flag:tuvalu-legislation.tv ↗ - the Tuvalu Attorney General's Chambers
- National anthem:nationalanthems.info ↗
- National anthem:Recording credit
Geography
- Location
- Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia
- Total area
- 26 km²
- Land area
- 26 km²
- Water area
- 0.00 km²
- Land borders
- None
- Coastline
- 24 km
- Terrain
Low-lying and narrow coral atolls - Mean elevation
- 2 m
- Highest point
- 5 m
- Lowest point
- 0 mPacific Ocean
- Climate
Tropical moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) - Avg. temperature
- 27.4 °C
- Avg. daily range
- 26.5 to 28.2 °C
- Annual precipitation
- 2,786 mm
Temperature °CMeanDaily rangePrecipitation mmMonthly climate normals Month Avg. high, °C Mean, °C Avg. low, °C Precipitation, mm January 28.3 27.5 26.7 313 February 28.2 27.4 26.6 312 March 28.2 27.4 26.4 286 April 28.2 27.4 26.4 249 May 28.3 27.5 26.5 224 June 28.2 27.4 26.5 209 July 28.1 27.3 26.3 205 August 28 27.2 26.3 205 September 28.2 27.3 26.4 167 October 28.3 27.4 26.5 171 November 28.4 27.6 26.6 180 December 28.4 27.6 26.6 265 Country-wide averages over 1991–2020.
Sources:- The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Weather
- Loading
- Land use2023
- Perm. crops60.0%Forest34.3%Other5.7%
- Permanent crops
- 1,800 hectares (60.0%)
- Forest
- 1,030 hectares (34.3%)
- Other land
- 170 hectares (5.7%)
Source: - Natural hazards2026
- Tsunamis5.8High#43/191Epidemics4.5Medium#109/191Drought4.3Medium#63/191Tropical cyclones0.2Very low#64/191Earthquakes0.1Very low#127/191River floods0.0Very lowCoastal floods0.0Very low
Scores out of 10, ranks out of 191 countries.
Source:- INFORM Risk Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Location, Land borders, Coastline, Terrain, Mean elevation, Highest point, Lowest point, Climate:The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Climate:Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Land use:FAOSTAT Land Use domain ↗ - FAO
- Natural hazards:INFORM Risk Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
Demographics
- Population change2026
- −1.37% per year−130 people/yearWorld Rank232ndof 237
- Birth rate
- 20.5 per 1,000 population
- Death rate
- 9.4 per 1,000 population
- Net migration rate
- −24.0 per 1,000 population
- 2026
- 24.1 yearsWorld Rank174thof 237
- Age structure2026
- 0-14 years32.9%15-64 years59.5%65 years +7.6%
- Share aged 65 and over
- 7.6%
- Share aged under 18
- 38.7%
- Total dependency ratio
- 68
- Youth dependency ratio
- 55
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 13
- Sex ratio
- 1.05 male / female
MaleAgeFemalePopulation by age group, % of total population Age Male Female 80+ 0.4% 0.7% 70-79 1.1% 1.9% 60-69 3.3% 4.7% 50-59 5.2% 4.8% 40-49 4.7% 4.1% 30-39 6.7% 5.8% 20-29 7.6% 6.9% 10-19 10.8% 9.6% 0-9 11.5% 10.3% - 2026
- 0.90 above the replacement level for Tuvalu ()3.10 births per womanreplacement 2.201234World Rank53rdof 237
- 1.43 daughters per woman0.43 above replacement, long-run each generation larger than the lastreplacement 1.000.511.5
- 2026
- +11.0 per 1,000 populationfor every 1,000 people, 11.0 more births than deaths a year
- 2026
- −24.0 per 1,000 population
- Urbanization2026
- 66.2% live in 6,196 urban residents
- Largest villages2022
- Fakaifou, Lofeagai, Alapi, SenalaRankVillagePopulation (2022 census)1Fakaifou1,2582Lofeagai1,1653Alapi1,1154Senala1,0145Tekavatoetoe7736Vaiaku6207Teone4848Aulotu3609Kulia34510Alamoni - Maiaki327Source:
- Tuvalu Central Statistics Division (2022 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution
- Over half of the population resides on the atoll of Funafuti.
- Ethnic groups2017
- Tuvaluan97.0%Tuvaluan/I-Kiribati1.6%Tuvaluan/other0.8%Other0.6%
- Religions2017
- Protestant92.7%Baha'i1.5%Jehovah's Witness1.5%Other3.9%None or refused0.4%
- Protestant
- 92.7%
- Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu
- 85.9%
- Brethren
- 2.8%
- Seventh Day Adventist
- 2.5%
- Assemblies of God
- 1.5%
Source:- The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Languages
- Tuvaluan (Te Ggana Tūvalu), English
- Population, Population change, Median age, Age structure, Total fertility rate, Net reproduction rate, Natural change, Net migration rate:UN World Population Prospects ↗
- Urbanization:UN World Urbanization Prospects ↗
- Largest cities:Tuvalu Central Statistics Division (2022 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution, Ethnic groups, Religions:The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
Government & Administration
- Form of state
- Constitutional monarchyThe Sovereign is Head of State, represented by a Governor-General appointed on the Prime Minister's advice after confidential consultation of Members of Parliament; Tuvalu is "a sovereign democratic State" (ss. 1, 49, 55, 56).Source:
- The Constitution of Tuvalu Act 2023, CAP. 1.02, 2023 Revised Edition ↗, ss. 1, 49, 55, 56
- System of government
- ParliamentaryMembers of Parliament elect the Prime Minister, the Cabinet is collectively responsible to Parliament, and a no-confidence vote by a majority of the membership vacates the Prime Minister's office; early dissolution needs a resolution of Parliament (ss. 64, 76, 121).Source:
- Territorial organisation
- Unitary
- Official websites
- Capital
- Funafuti6,602 people(2022)
- National holidays
- 12 days in 2026
- ThuJan 1New Year's Day
- FriApr 3Good Friday
- MonApr 6Easter Monday
- MonMay 11Gospel Day
- SatJun 13King's Birthday
- MonAug 3National Youth Day
- ThuOct 1Tuvalu Day
- FriOct 2Tuvalu Day
- MonOct 12National Children's Day
- FriDec 25Christmas Day
- SatDec 26Boxing Day
- MonDec 28Boxing Day (observed)
Nationwide public holidays only, excluding regional, bank and government-only days.
- Time
- TVTTuvalu TimeUTC+12
- Currency
- Australian Dollar (AUD)
- Calling code
- +688
- Internet TLD
- .tv
- ISO 3166-1 codes
- TV, TUV
- Infrastructure
- Aircraft registration prefix
- T2
Source:- The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Form of state, System of government, Territorial organisation:The Constitution of Tuvalu Act 2023, CAP. 1.02, 2023 Revised Edition ↗ - Attorney General's Chambers of Tuvalu
- National holidays:Open World Holidays Framework (vacanza/holidays) ↗
- Infrastructure:The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Infrastructure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
Economy
- Upper middle income
- GDP growth (real)2026
- +3.4% per yearWorld Rank83rdof 195
- GDP per capita (PPP)2026
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $8,367 (106th in the world)
Source:- 2011latest available
- Industry8.8% of GDPAgriculture25.5% of GDPManufacturing1%part of industry
- Inflation2026
- 4.3%up 1.3 percentage points1.3pp from 2025
- Budget balance2026
- 3.5% of GDP deficit
- Current account
- 4.7% of GDP, $4 million surplus
Source: - Debt2024
- Central government debt3.9% of GDP
- Trade2023
- Goods$287,9062.7%
- Services$10.2 million97.3%
- Total exports
- $10.5 million
- Change from 2022
- up 363.6 percent on the previous year363.6%
Sources:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Agricultural products2024
- Coconuts (in shell), Bananas, Meat of pig with the bone (fresh or chilled), and 1 more
- 1Coconuts (in shell)96.5×
- 2Bananas5.5×
- 3Meat of pig with the bone (fresh or chilled)2.7×
- 4Meat of chickens (fresh or chilled)1.3×
ProductSource:- FAOSTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Industries
- fishing
- Income level, GDP by sector, Trade:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- GDP (nominal), GDP growth (real), GDP per capita (PPP), Inflation, Budget balance:IMF World Economic Outlook ↗
- Debt:IMF Global Debt Database ↗
- Trade, Industries:The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- Agricultural products:FAOSTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
Cost of Living
Society
- 2023
- 0.689MediumWorld Rank129thof 193TuvaluWorld
Human Development Index by year Year Tuvalu World 1990 0.566 0.608 1991 0.570 0.611 1992 0.566 0.614 1993 0.579 0.617 1994 0.586 0.620 1995 0.587 0.625 1996 0.587 0.631 1997 0.595 0.636 1998 0.605 0.641 1999 0.608 0.646 2000 0.610 0.651 2001 0.613 0.657 2002 0.621 0.662 2003 0.621 0.669 2004 0.621 0.675 2005 0.621 0.681 2006 0.625 0.688 2007 0.630 0.694 2008 0.636 0.698 2009 0.635 0.701 2010 0.636 0.707 2011 0.641 0.713 2012 0.642 0.717 2013 0.647 0.721 2014 0.650 0.726 2015 0.658 0.731 2016 0.664 0.735 2017 0.668 0.739 2018 0.672 0.741 2019 0.681 0.745 2020 0.681 0.742 2021 0.681 0.742 2022 0.686 0.752 2023 0.689 0.756 Source:- Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- Mean years of schooling2023
- 10.8 years
- Expected for a child today
- 12.4 years
Source:- Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- Literacy2022
- 100% of adults
- Education expenditure2023
- 12.8% of GDP
- Share of government spending
- 11.4%
Source:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Internet users2017latest available
- 35.2% of the population
- Households with Internet access
- 51.3%
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Mobile subscriptions2017latest available
- 8,000
- Fixed telephone lines
- 2,000
- Fixed broadband
- 4.1 subscriptions per 100 people
Counts subscriptions, not people.
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Inbound tourists2022
- Official tourism site244 arrivalsdown 93% against 201993% below 2019World Rank139thof 139
- Per resident
- 2.4 arrivals per 100 residents
- $9.5 million(2023)
- Residents' trips abroad
- 1,400 overnight trips
- $14.4 million(2023)
Overnight arrivals by year2010 to 2022A tourist stays at least one night. Arrivals count trips, not people.
Source:- UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
- Human Development Index, Mean years of schooling:Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- Literacy:UIS Data Browser ↗ - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
- Education expenditure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Internet users, Mobile subscriptions:ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Inbound tourists:UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
Crime & Safety
- Travel advisory (US)
- Loading
- Active humanitarian crisisAug 2026
- None - no active crisis
- Homicide rate2019
- 0 per 100,000 peopleVery low by global standards
- Crime rates
- 1 offence category
Offence Per 100,000 Count Year Homicide (victims) 0.0 0 2019 A low figure can also mean weak recording.
Source:- UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Prison population2014
- 100.1 per 100,000 people
- Persons held
- 11
Source:- UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Active humanitarian crisis:INFORM Severity Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Homicide rate, Crime rates, Prison population:UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
Health
- Life expectancy2026
- 67.6 years
- Health expenditure2023
- 27.1% of GDP$1,724 per person
- Physicians2020
- 1.35 per 1,000 population
- Hospital beds2001latest available
- 4.2 per 1,000 population
- Infant mortality2026
- 15.1 per 1,000 live births
- Maternal mortality2023
- 170 per 100,000 live births
- Alcohol consumption2022
- 0.3 litres of pure alcohol per adult per year
- Tobacco use2020
- 35.2% of adults
- Men
- 50.4%
- Women
- 20.1%
Source:- Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Life expectancy, Infant mortality:UN World Population Prospects ↗
- Health expenditure, Physicians, Hospital beds:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Maternal mortality:Maternal mortality estimates ↗ - UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group
- Alcohol consumption, Tobacco use:Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
Environment
- 2024
- 1.7 µg/m³ of PM2.5Most polluted219thof 236
- WHO guideline
- 5 µg/m³
Source:- Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues
- limited freshwater resources
- beach erosion
- deforestation
- damage to coral reefs
- rising sea levels
Source:- The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- International agreements
- 16 of 20 landmark treaties in forceParty to 60 multilateral environmental agreements
Treaty Standing Joined Climate Paris Agreement in force 2016 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in force 1994 Kyoto Protocol in force 2005 Ozone layer Montreal Protocol in force 1993 Vienna Convention (Ozone Layer) in force 1993 Biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity in force 2003 CITES not a party Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn) not a party Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety not a party Nagoya Protocol in force 2018 Land and heritage Ramsar Convention on Wetlands not a party World Heritage Convention in force 2023 UN Convention to Combat Desertification in force 1998 Chemicals and waste Basel Convention in force 2020 Rotterdam Convention (PIC) in force 2020 Stockholm Convention (POPs) in force 2004 Minamata Convention on Mercury in force 2019 Oceans UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in force 2003 High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) in force 2026 MARPOL 73/78 in force 1985 Source:- International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval
- Air pollution:Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues:The World Factbook: Tuvalu - CIA
- International agreements:International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval
Food & Water
- No access to safe drinking water2022
- 2.3% of the population
- Renewable water2022
- 0 billion m³ per year
- Per person
- 0 m³ per year
- Dependency ratio
- 0% originates outside the country
Source:- AQUASTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Obesity2024
- 65.1% of adults
- Men
- 57.7%
- Women
- 72.3%
Source:- Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Underweight children2019
- 2.9% of children under five
- No access to safe drinking water, Renewable water:AQUASTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Obesity:Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Underweight children:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
Energy
Defense
- Nuclear weapons2026
- None - no nuclear arsenal
- Nuclear weapons:Status of World Nuclear Forces ↗ - Federation of American Scientists
