The people of the Marshall Islands are of Micronesian origin, which is traced to a combination of peoples who emigrated from Southeast Asia in the remote past. The matrilineal Marshallese culture revolves around a complex system of clans and lineages tied to land ownership.

Virtually all Marshallese are Christian, most of them Protestant (see Religion in the Marshall Islands). Other Christian denominations include Roman Catholicism, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Latter-day Saints (Mormon), Salvation Army, and Jehovah's Witness. A small Bahá'í community also exists.

Both Marshallese and English are official languages. Marshallese is spoken by most of the urban population. Both the Nitijela (parliament) and national radio use Marshallese.

The public school system provides education through grade 12, although admission to secondary school is selective. The elementary program employs a bilingual/bicultural curriculum. English is introduced in the first grade. There is one post-secondary institution in the Marshall Islands -- the College of the Marshall Islands.

Demographics of the Marshall Islands, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population

68,126 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 50% (male 17,204; female 16,521)
15-64 years: 48% (male 16,826; female 16,111)
65 years and over: 2% (male 693; female 771) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.25% (2006 est.)

Birth rate

45.17 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate

40.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 65.5 years
male: 63.72 years
female: 67.36 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.61 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality

noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese

Ethnic groups

Micronesian

Religions

Christian (mostly Protestant) (see Religion in the Marshall Islands)

Languages

English (universally spoken and is the official language), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 100%
female: 88% (1980 est.)

See also : Marshall Islands

v • d • e Demographics of Oceania Australasia Australia · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · New Zealand1 · Norfolk Island Melanesia East Timor2 · Fiji · New Caledonia · Papua New Guinea3 · Solomon Islands · Vanuatu Micronesia Federated States of Micronesia · Guam · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Nauru · Northern Mariana Islands · Palau Polynesia American Samoa · Cook Islands · French Polynesia · Hawaii · Niue · Pitcairn Islands · Samoa · Tokelau · Tonga · Tuvalu · Wallis and Futuna 1 Often included in Polynesia.  2 Often included in Southeast Asia.  3 Often included in Australasia.

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