Micronesia Facts, Map, Population, GDP

Capital

Palikir

Population

99,603 (2024 est.)

Area

702 sq km

Location

Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia

🧭 Background

Each of the four states that compose the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) -- Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap -- has its own unique history and cultural traditions. The first humans arrived in what is now the FSM in the second millennium B.C. In the 800s A.D., construction of the artificial islets at the Nan Madol complex in Pohnpei began, with the main architecture being built around 1200. At its height, Nan Madol united the approximately 25,000 people of Pohnpei under the Saudeleur Dynasty. By 1250, Kosrae was united in a kingdom centered in Leluh. Yap’s society became strictly hierarchical, with chiefs receiving tributes from islands up to 1,100 km (700 mi) away. Widespread human settlement in Chuuk began in the 1300s, and the different islands in the Chuuk Lagoon were frequently at war with one another. Portuguese and Spanish explorers visited a few of the islands in the 1500s, and Spain began exerting nominal, but not day-to-day, control over some of the islands -- which they named the Caroline Islands -- in the 1600s. In 1899, Spain sold all of the FSM to Germany. Japan seized the islands in 1914 and was granted a League of Nations mandate to administer them in 1920. During WWII, Japan built military bases across most of the islands and headquartered their Pacific naval operations in Chuuk. The US bombed Chuuk in 1944 but largely bypassed the other islands in its leapfrog campaign across the Pacific. In 1947, the FSM came under US administration as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which comprised six districts: Chuuk, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pohnpei, and Yap; Kosrae was separated from Pohnpei into a separate district in 1977. In 1979, Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap ratified the FSM Constitution and declared independence while the other three districts opted to pursue separate political status. There are significant inter-island rivalries stemming from their different histories and cultures. Chuuk, the most populous but poorest state, has pushed for secession, but an independence referendum has been repeatedly postponed.

🗺️ Geography

Location

Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia

Geographic coordinates

6 55 N, 158 15 E

Map references

Oceania

Area — total

702 sq km

Area — land

702 sq km

Area — water

0 sq km (fresh water only)

Area - comparative

Four times the size of Washington, D.C. (land area only)

Land boundaries — total

0 km

Coastline

6,112 km

Maritime claims — territorial sea

12 nm

Maritime claims — exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Climate

Tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

Terrain

Islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk

Elevation — highest point

Nanlaud on Pohnpei 782 m

Elevation — lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

Timber, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate

Land use — agricultural land

7.1% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 2.9% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 4.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

92.2% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

0.7% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Population distribution

The majority of the population lives in the coastal areas of the high islands; the mountainous interior is largely uninhabited; less than half of the population lives in urban areas

Natural hazards

Typhoons (June to December)

Geography - note

Composed of four major island groups totaling 607 islands

👥 People and Society⬆️ Top

Population — total

99,603 (2024 est.)

Population — male

48,708

Population — female

50,895

Nationality — noun

Micronesian(s)

Nationality — adjective

Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese

Ethnic groups

Chuukese/Mortlockese 49.3%, Pohnpeian 29.8%, Kosraean 6.3%, Yapese 5.7%, Yap outer islanders 5.1%, Polynesian 1.6%, Asian 1.4%, other 0.8% (2010 est.)

Languages

English (official and common language), Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi

Religions

Roman Catholic 54.7%, Protestant 41.1% (includes Congregational 38.5%, Baptist 1.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 0.8%, Assembly of God 0.7%), Church of Jesus Christ 1.5%, other 1.9%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

Age structure — 0-14 years

27% (male 13,673/female 13,239)

Age structure — 15-64 years

67.3% (male 32,527/female 34,487)

Age structure — 65 years and over

5.7% (2024 est.) (male 2,508/female 3,169)

Dependency ratios — total dependency ratio

48.6 (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios — youth dependency ratio

40.2 (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios — elderly dependency ratio

8.5 (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios — potential support ratio

11.8 (2024 est.)

Median age — total

28.7 years (2025 est.)

Median age — male

27.3 years

Median age — female

29.1 years

Population growth rate

-0.77% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Net migration rate

-20.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

The majority of the population lives in the coastal areas of the high islands; the mountainous interior is largely uninhabited; less than half of the population lives in urban areas

Urbanization — urban population

23.4% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

1.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

7,000 PALIKIR (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio — at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 0-14 years

1.03 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 15-64 years

0.94 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 65 years and over

0.79 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

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

Infant mortality rate — total

20.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate — male

23.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Infant mortality rate — female

17.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth — total population

75 years (2024 est.)

Life expectancy at birth — male

72.9 years

Life expectancy at birth — female

77.2 years

Total fertility rate

2.17 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.06 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure — Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

11% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure — Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

1.9% of national budget (2022 est.)

Physician density

0.97 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Sanitation facility access — improved: total

Total: 88.3% of population

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

45.8% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita — total

1.59 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — beer

0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — wine

0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — spirits

0.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — other alcohols

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

51.7% (2023 est.)

Education expenditure — Education expenditure (% GDP)

11.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Education expenditure — Education expenditure (% national budget)

18.6% national budget (2020 est.)

🌿 Environment⬆️ Top

Environmental issues

Overfishing; sea-level rise; water and toxic pollution from mining; solid waste disposal

International environmental agreements — party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

International environmental agreements — signed, but not ratified

None of the selected agreements

Climate

Tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

Land use — agricultural land

7.1% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 2.9% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 4.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

92.2% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

0.7% (2023 est.)

Urbanization — urban population

23.4% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

1.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — total emissions

121,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — from petroleum and other liquids

121,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

8.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Waste and recycling — municipal solid waste generated annually

26,000 tons (2024 est.)

Waste and recycling — percent of municipal solid waste recycled

15.2% (2022 est.)

🏛️ Government⬆️ Top

Country name — conventional long form

Federated States of Micronesia

Country name — conventional short form

None

Country name — local long form

Federated States of Micronesia

Country name — local short form

None

Country name — former

New Philippines; Caroline Islands; Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts

Country name — abbreviation

FSM

Country name — etymology

The name is a 19th-century construct of two Greek words, mikros (small) and nesoi (islands), and refers to its thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean

Government type

Federal republic in free association with the US

Capital — name

Palikir

Capital — geographic coordinates

6 55 N, 158 09 E

Capital — time difference

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Capital — time zone note

Micronesia has two time zones

Administrative divisions

4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap

Legal system

Mixed system of common and customary law

Constitution — history

Drafted June 1975, ratified 1 October 1978, entered into force 10 May 1979

Constitution — amendment process

Proposed by Congress, by a constitutional convention, or by public petition; passage requires approval by at least three-fourths majority vote in at least three fourths of the states

International law organization participation

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

Citizenship — citizenship by birth

No

Citizenship — citizenship by descent only

At least one parent must be a citizen of FSM

Citizenship — dual citizenship recognized

No

Citizenship — residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch — chief of state

President Wesley W. SIMINA (since 12 May 2023)

Executive branch — head of government

President Wesley W. SIMINA (since 12 May 2023)

Executive branch — cabinet

Cabinet includes the vice president and the heads of the 8 executive departments

Executive branch — election/appointment process

President and vice president indirectly elected by Congress from among the 4 'at large' senators for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term)

Executive branch — most recent election date

12 May 2023

Executive branch — expected date of next election

2027

Legislative branch — legislature name

Congress

Legislative branch — legislative structure

Unicameral

Legislative branch — number of seats

14 (all directly elected)

Legislative branch — electoral system

Plurality/majority

Legislative branch — scope of elections

Partial renewal

Legislative branch — term in office

2 years

Legislative branch — most recent election date

3/4/2025

Legislative branch — percentage of women in chamber

21.4%

Legislative branch — expected date of next election

March 2027

Judicial branch — highest court(s)

Federated States of Micronesia Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and not more than 5 associate justices and organized into appellate and criminal divisions)

Judicial branch — judge selection and term of office

Justices appointed by the FSM president with the approval of two-thirds of Congress; justices appointed for life

Judicial branch — subordinate courts

The highest state-level courts are: Chuuk Supreme Court; Korsae State Court; Pohnpei State Court; Yap State Court

Political parties

No formal parties

Diplomatic representation in the US — chief of mission

Ambassador Jackson T. SORAM (since 27 February 2024)

Diplomatic representation in the US — chancery

1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

Diplomatic representation in the US — telephone

[1] (202) 223-4383

Diplomatic representation in the US — FAX

[1] (202) 223-4391

Diplomatic representation in the US — email address and website

Dcmission@fsmembassy.fm https://fsmembassy.fm/

Diplomatic representation in the US — consulate(s) general

Honolulu, Portland (OR), Tamuning (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US — chief of mission

Ambassador Jennifer L. JOHNSON (since 13 September 2023)

Diplomatic representation from the US — embassy

1286 US Embassy Place, Kolonia, Pohnpei, FM 96941

Diplomatic representation from the US — mailing address

4120 Kolonia Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-4120

Diplomatic representation from the US — telephone

[691] 320-2187

Diplomatic representation from the US — FAX

[691] 320-2186

Diplomatic representation from the US — email address and website

Koloniaacs@state.gov https://fm.usembassy.gov/

International organization participation

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO

Independence

3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday

Constitution Day, 10 May (1979)

Flag

Description: light blue with four five-pointed white stars centered and arranged in a diamond pattern meaning: blue stands for the Pacific Ocean, and the stars for the four island groups of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap

National symbol(s)

Four five-pointed white stars on a light blue field, hibiscus flower

National color(s)

Light blue, white

National anthem(s) — title

"Patriots of Micronesia"

National anthem(s) — lyrics/music

Unknown

National anthem(s) — history

Adopted 1991

National heritage — total World Heritage Sites

1 (cultural)

National heritage — selected World Heritage Site locales

Nan Madol: Ceremonial Center of Eastern Micronesia

💹 Economy⬆️ Top

Economic overview

Lower middle-income Pacific island economy; US aid reliance, sunsetting in 2024; low entrepreneurship; mostly fishing and farming; US dollar user; no patent laws; tourism remains underdeveloped; significant corruption

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$432.679 million (2024 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$429.59 million (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$427.529 million (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2024

0.7% (2024 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2023

0.5% (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2022

-2.9% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2024

$3,800 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2023

$3,800 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2022

$3,800 (2022 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$471.425 million (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

5.4% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

3.2% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

0.6% (2020 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — agriculture

23.3% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — industry

5% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — services

69.2% (2023 est.)

Agricultural products

Coconuts, cassava, vegetables, sweet potatoes, bananas, pork, plantains, fruits, beef, eggs (2023)

Industries

Tourism, construction; specialized aquaculture, craft items (shell and wood)

Industrial production growth rate

0.8% (2023 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2023

5.3% of GDP (2023 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2022

5.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2021

6% of GDP (2021 est.)

Budget — revenues

$137.795 million (2020 est.)

Budget — expenditures

$111.963 million (2020 est.)

Public debt — Public debt 2020

27.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

7% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2017

$12 million (2017 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2016

$11 million (2016 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2014

$22.408 million (2014 est.)

Exports — Exports 2024

$129.5 million (2024 est.)

Exports — Exports 2023

$125.789 million (2023 est.)

Exports — Exports 2022

$90.466 million (2022 est.)

Exports - partners

Thailand 64%, China 16%, Philippines 11%, Japan 5%, Ecuador 1% (2023)

Exports - commodities

Fish, diamonds, garments (2023)

Imports — Imports 2024

$325.9 million (2024 est.)

Imports — Imports 2023

$310.669 million (2023 est.)

Imports — Imports 2022

$274.334 million (2022 est.)

Imports - partners

USA 35%, China 20%, Japan 13%, Taiwan 6%, Philippines 4% (2023)

Imports - commodities

Poultry, fish, plastic products, cars, prepared meat (2023)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$497.434 million (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020

$451.913 million (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2019

$397.158 million (2019 est.)

Exchange rates

The US dollar is used

⚡ Energy⬆️ Top

Electricity access — electrification - total population

85.3% (2022 est.)

Electricity access — electrification - urban areas

98.6%

Electricity access — electrification - rural areas

79.4%

Petroleum — refined petroleum consumption

800 bbl/day (2023 est.)

📡 Communications⬆️ Top

Telephones - fixed lines — total subscriptions

7,000 (2021 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

6 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular — total subscriptions

22,000 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

19 (2021 est.)

Broadcast media

No TV broadcast stations; each state has a multi-channel cable service with TV transmissions carrying roughly 95% imported programming and 5% local programming; about half a dozen radio stations (2009)

Internet country code

.fm

Internet users — percent of population

41% (2022 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions — total

7,000 (2022 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

6 (2022 est.)

🚚 Transportation⬆️ Top

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

V6

Airports

7 (2025)

Merchant marine — total

38 (2023)

Merchant marine — by type

General cargo 17, oil tanker 4, other 17

Ports — total ports

4 (2024)

Ports — large

0

Ports — medium

0

Ports — small

1

Ports — very small

3

Ports — ports with oil terminals

3

Ports — key ports

Colonia, Lele Harbor, Moen, Pohnpei Harbor

🛡️ Military and Security⬆️ Top

Military and security forces

No military forces; Federated States of Micronesia National Police (includes a maritime wing)

Military - note

Defense is the responsibility of the US; in 1982, the FSM signed a Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the US, which granted the FSM financial assistance and access to many US domestic programs in exchange for exclusive US military access and defense responsibilities; the COFA entered into force in 1986; Micronesians can serve in the US armed forces the FSM 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 the FSM'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)