The population of the Pacific is set to reach nearly 9.5 million by the middle of this year.
New data from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community shows the region’s population is growing by 1.9 per cent a year, or 500 people a day.
The population estimates are compiled by the Secretariat from country statistics.
The report predicts the population of Melanesia will grow to more than eight-point-three million people, Polynesia to more than 655,000 and Micronesia more than 530,000 by mid-year.
The largest individual country population is that of Papua New Guinea, which has an estimated six-point-five million people, followed by Fiji with nearly 840,000.
The smallest is Pitcairn Island with just 66 people.
Predictably, the fastest-growing population is that of Guam, where thousands of American troops are being relocated from Japan.
Both Niue and the Northern Marianas are experiencing a decrease in residents, the latter because of the lack of jobs.
