Niue

noun:

Niuean(s)

adjective:

Niuean

total dependency ratio:

70.4

youth dependency ratio:

44.9

elderly dependency ratio:

25.4

potential support ratio:

3.9 (2021)

improved:

total: 97% of population

unimproved:

total: 3% of population (2020 est.)

improved:

total: 95.5% of population

unimproved:

total: 4.5% of population (2020 est.)

total:

8.5 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

4.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.89 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

2.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

party to:

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

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

48.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Niue

former:

Savage Island

etymology:

the origin of the name is obscure; in Niuean, the word supposedly translates as "behold the coconut"

note: pronunciation falls between nyu-way and new-way, but not like new-wee

• self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974;
• Niue is fully responsible for internal affairs;
• New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense;
• however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue

name:

Alofi

geographic coordinates:

19 01 S, 169 55 W

time difference:

UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

several previous (New Zealand colonial statutes); latest 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act 1974)

amendments:

• proposed by the Assembly;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership in each of three readings and approval by at least two-thirds majority votes in a referendum;
• passage of amendments to a number of sections, including Niue’s self-governing status, British nationality and New Zealand citizenship, external affairs and defense, economic and administrative assistance by New Zealand, and amendment procedures, requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly and at least two thirds of votes in a referendum;
• amended 1992, 2007;
• note - in early 2021, the constitution review committee of the Assembly requested suggestions from the public about changes to the constitution

chief of state:

• King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022);
• represented by Governor-General of New Zealand Cindy KIRO (since 21 October 2021);
• the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner Mark GIBBS (since 5 March 2024)

head of government:

Prime Minister Dalton TAGELAGI; also referred to as premier (since 10 June 2020)

cabinet:

Cabinet chosen by the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• prime minister indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly for a 3-year term;
• election last held on 8 May 2023 (next to be held in 2026)

election results:

Dalton TAGELAGI reelected prime minister; Legislative Assembly vote - Dalton TAGELAGI (independent) 16, O'Love JACOBSEN (independent) 4

description:

unicameral Assembly or Fono Ekepule (20 seats; 14 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 6 directly elected from the National Register or "common roll" by majority vote; members serve 3-year terms)

elections:

last held on 29 April 2023 (next to be held in 2026)

election results:

• percent of vote - NA;
• seats - independent 20;
• composition - men 14, women 6, percentage women 30%

highest court(s):

• Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and up to 3 judges);
• note - the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) is the final appeal court beyond the Niue Court of Appeal

judge selection and term of office:

• Niue chief justice appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet and tendered by the premier;
• other judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet and tendered by the chief justice and the minister of justice;
• judges serve until age 68

subordinate courts:

High Court

note: Niue is a participant in the Pacific Judicial Development Program, which is designed to build governance and the rule of law in 15 Pacific island countries

• yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant;
• the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large star on a blue disk in the center and a smaller star on each arm of the bold red cross;
• the larger star stands for Niue, the smaller stars recall the Southern Cross constellation on the New Zealand flag and symbolize links with that country;
• yellow represents the bright sunshine of Niue and the warmth and friendship between Niue and New Zealand

name:

"Ko e Iki he Lagi" (The Lord in Heaven)

lyrics/music:

unknown/unknown, prepared by Sioeli FUSIKATA

note: adopted 1974

• upper-middle-income self-governing New Zealand territorial economy;
• environmentally fragile;
• massive emigration;
• post-pandemic tourism rebound;
• postage stamps, small-scale agricultural processing, and subsistence farming;
• most recent Asian Development Bank member

general assessment:

• in 2020, the Manatua One Polynesia Fiber Cable provided Niue with high speed Internet access for the first time replacing a 4 megabit satellite link with gigabit fiber connectivity;
• the government set out a strategy to upgrade to a new infrastructure that would be robust enough to operate reliably in a challenging climate: 40 40°C heat, 40% humidity, salty air, frequent power outages during storms, and no air conditioning (2022)

domestic:

single-line (fixed line) telephone system connects all villages on island; fixed teledensity at nearly 52 per 100 (2021)

international:

• country code - 683;
• landing point for the Manatua submarine cable linking Niue to several South Pacific Ocean Islands;
• expansion of satellite services (2019)

total:

234 km

paved:

210 km

unpaved:

24 km (2017)

total ports:

1 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

0

very small:

1

ports with oil terminals:

0

key ports:

Alofi