Tuvalu

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 0 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

no TV stations; many households use satellite dishes to watch foreign TV; 1 state-owned radio station, Radio Tuvalu, includes relays from international broadcasters (2019)

Internet country code

.tv

Internet users

percent of population: 74% (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 2,000 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 9,880 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 99 (2022 est.)

Agricultural products

coconuts, vegetables, tropical fruits, bananas, root vegetables, pork, chicken, eggs, pork fat, pork offal (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Budget

revenues: $87 million (2019 est.) expenditures: $88 million (2019 est.) note: revenue data include Official Development Assistance from Australia

Current account balance

$2.713 million (2022 est.) $14.533 million (2021 est.) $8.46 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Economic overview

upper middle-income Pacific island economy; extremely environmentally fragile; currency pegged to Australian dollar; large international aid recipient; subsistence agrarian sector; Te Kakeega sustainable development; domain name licensing incomes

Exchange rates

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.515 (2024 est.) 1.505 (2023 est.) 1.442 (2022 est.) 1.331 (2021 est.) 1.453 (2020 est.)

Exports

$2.232 million (2022 est.) $2.745 million (2021 est.) $3.089 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports - commodities

fish (2023) note: top export commodities based on value in dollars over $500,000

Exports - partners

Thailand 88%, Japan 6%, Philippines 3%, Ireland 1%, USA 1% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$62.28 million (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 15.9% (2015 est.) industry: 7% (2015 est.) services: 70% (2012 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Imports

$57.388 million (2022 est.) $63.962 million (2021 est.) $56.947 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Imports - commodities

ships, refined petroleum, iron structures, fish, hand tools (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

China 42%, Fiji 24%, Japan 11%, Australia 11%, NZ 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industries

fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.5% (2022 est.) 6.2% (2021 est.) 1.9% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Public debt

47.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$57.055 million (2023 est.) $54.938 million (2022 est.) $54.568 million (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP growth rate

3.9% (2023 est.) 0.7% (2022 est.) 1.8% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per capita

$5,800 (2023 est.) $5,500 (2022 est.) $5,400 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Remittances

4.2% of GDP (2023 est.) 4.2% of GDP (2022 est.) 4.9% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 100% electrification - rural areas: 99.1%

Climate

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Environmental issues

limited freshwater resources; beach erosion; deforestation; damage to coral reefs; rising sea levels

International environmental agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

Land use

agricultural land: 60% (2023 est.) arable land: 0% (2022 est.) permanent crops: 60% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.) forest: 34.3% (2023 est.) other: 5.7% (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

6.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 66.2% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.08% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 4,000 tons (2024 est.)

Area

total : 26 sq km land: 26 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

about the size of Washington, D.C.

Climate

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Coastline

24 km

Elevation

highest point: unnamed location 5 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 2 m

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Geography - note

one of the smallest and most remote countries on earth; six of the nine coral atolls -- Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae -- have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 60% (2023 est.) arable land: 0% (2022 est.) permanent crops: 60% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.) forest: 34.3% (2023 est.) other: 5.7% (2023 est.)

Location

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low levels of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

Natural resources

fish, coconut (copra)

Population distribution

over half of the population resides on the atoll of Funafuti

Terrain

low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Administrative divisions

7 island councils and 1 town council*; Funafuti*, Nanumaga, Nanumea, Niutao, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, Vaitupu

Capital

name: Funafuti geographic coordinates: 8 31 S, 179 13 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the town has the same name as the island it is located on; the name may either come from the Polynesian word futi (banana) or the name Futi, one of the wives of a local ruler, with the word funa added as a feminine prefix note: the capital is an atoll of 29 islets; administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes; for a child born abroad, at least one parent must be a citizen of Tuvalu dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: na

Constitution

history: previous 1978 (at independence); latest effective 1 October 1986 amendment process: proposed by the House of Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership in the final reading

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tuvalu local long form: none local short form: Tuvalu former: Ellice Islands 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

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Tapugao FALEFOU (since 19 April 2023); note - also Permanent Representative to UN chancery: 685 Third Avenue, Suite 1104, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534 FAX: [1] (212) 808-4975 email address and website: tuvalumission.un@gmail.com tuvalu.unmission@gov.tv https://www.un.int/tuvalu/about note: the Tuvalu Permanent Mission to the UN serves as the Embassy

Executive branch

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Tofiga Vaevalu FALANI (since 29 August 2021) head of government: Prime Minister Feleti Penitala TEO (since 27 February 2024) cabinet: Cabinet members selected by the prime minister election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the prime minister and the parliament; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from members of House of Assembly following parliamentary elections election results: 2024: TEO was the only candidate nominated by the House of Assembly 2019: Kausea NATANO elected prime minister by House of Assembly; House of Assembly vote - 10 to 6

Flag

description: light blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant; the right half of the flag has nine five-pointed yellow stars meaning: the stars represent a map of the country, with each symbolizing an atoll in the ocean

Government type

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Independence

1 October 1978 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and not less than 3 appeals judges); High Court (consists of the chief justice); appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet; judge tenure based on terms of appointment; High Court chief justice appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet; chief justice serves for life; other judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet after consultation with chief justice; judge tenure set by terms of appointment subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; island courts; land courts

Legal system

mixed system of English common law and local customary law

Legislative branch

legislature name: Parliament (Palamene) legislative structure: unicameral chamber name: Parliament of Tuvalu (Palamene o Tuvalu) number of seats: 16 (all directly elected) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 1/26/2024 percentage of women in chamber: 0% expected date of next election: January 2028

National anthem(s)

title: "Tuvalu mo te Atua" (Tuvalu for the Almighty) lyrics/music: Afaese MANOA history: adopted 1978; the anthem's name is also the nation's motto title: "God Save the King" lyrics/music: unknown history: used since 1745

National color(s)

light blue, yellow

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

National symbol(s)

maneapa (native meeting house)

Political parties

note: no political parties, but members of parliament usually align in informal groupings

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Voyagers from either Samoa or Tonga first populated Tuvalu in the first millennium A.D., and the islands provided a stepping-stone for various Polynesian communities that subsequently settled in Melanesia and Micronesia. Tuvalu eventually came under Samoan and Tongan spheres of influence, although proximity to Micronesia allowed some Micronesian communities to flourish in Tuvalu, in particular on Nui Atoll. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, a series of American, British, Dutch, and Russian ships visited the islands, which were named the Ellice Islands in 1819. The UK declared a protectorate over islands in 1892 and merged them with the Micronesian Gilbert Islands. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate became a colony in 1916. During World War II, the US set up military bases on a few islands, and in 1943, after Japan captured many of the northern Gilbert Islands, the UK transferred administration of the colony southward to Funafuti. After the war, Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands was once again made the colony s capital, and the center of power was firmly in the Gilbert Islands, including the colony s only secondary school. Amid growing tensions with the Gilbertese, Tuvaluans voted to secede from the colony in 1974, were granted self-rule in 1975, and gained independence in 1978 as Tuvalu. In 1979, the US relinquished its claims to the Tuvaluan islands in a treaty of friendship.

Military - note

as part of the Falepili Union treaty between Australia and Tuvalu, which entered into force in August 2024, Australia committed to assist Tuvalu in response to a major natural disaster, health pandemic, or military aggression; Tuvalu pledged to mutually agree with Australia any partnership, arrangement, or engagement with any other State or entity on security and defense-related matters in Tuvalu Tuvalu has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Tuvalu's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2025)

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force

Age structure

0-14 years: 29.2% (male 1,754/female 1,672) 15-64 years: 63.2% (male 3,736/female 3,675) 65 years and over: 7.6% (2024 est.) (male 326/female 570)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 0.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

21.57 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15: 0% (2020) women married by age 18: 1.8% (2020) men married by age 18: 1.7% (2020)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2.9% (2019 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

64.2% (2020 est.)

Death rate

7.78 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 59 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 46.4 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 12.6 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 7.9 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 99% of population (2022 est.) rural: 99.7% of population (2022 est.) total: 99.3% of population (2022 est.) urban: 1% of population (2022 est.) rural: 0.3% of population (2022 est.) total: 0.7% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

12.8% of GDP (2023 est.) 16.8% national budget (2025 est.)

Ethnic groups

Tuvaluan 97%, Tuvaluan/I-Kiribati 1.6%, Tuvaluan/other 0.8%, other 0.6% (2017 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.34 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure

20% of GDP (2021) 11.2% of national budget (2022 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 27.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 31.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Tuvaluan (official), English (official), Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69 years (2024 est.) male: 66.5 years female: 71.6 years

Literacy

total population: 100% (2022 est.) male: 100% (2022 est.) female: 100% (2022 est.)

Major urban areas - population

7,000 FUNAFUTI (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality ratio

170 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Median age

total: 28.1 years (2025 est.) male: 26.8 years female: 28.8 years

Nationality

noun: Tuvaluan(s) adjective: Tuvaluan

Net migration rate

-6.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

51.6% (2016)

Physician density

1.35 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

total: 11,824 (2025 est.) male: 5,865 female: 5,959

Population distribution

over half of the population resides on the atoll of Funafuti

Population growth rate

0.75% (2025 est.)

Religions

Protestant 92.7% (Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu 85.9%, Brethren 2.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.5%, Assemblies of God 1.5%), Baha'i 1.5%, Jehovah's Witness 1.5%, other 3.9%, none or refused 0.4% (2017 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 96.7% of population (2022 est.) rural: 93.9% of population (2022 est.) total: 95.8% of population (2022 est.) urban: 3.3% of population (2022 est.) rural: 6.1% of population (2022 est.) total: 4.2% of population (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 32.4% (2025 est.) male: 46.2% (2025 est.) female: 18.1% (2025 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.76 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 66.2% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.08% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Airports

1 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

T2

Merchant marine

total: 270 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 21, container ship 3, general cargo 29, oil tanker 19, other 198

Ports

total ports: 1 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 0 very small: 1 ports with oil terminals: 1 key ports: Funafuti Atoll