Communications: Broadcast media
1 TV station on Saipan; multi-channel cable TV services are available on Saipan; 9 licensed radio stations (2009)
Communications: Internet country code
.mp
Communications: Internet users: percent of population
25.1% (2021 est.)
Communications: Telephones - fixed lines: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
42 (2022 est.)
Communications: Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions
20,000 (2021 est.)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
28 (2004)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions
20,474 (2004 est.)
Economy: Agricultural products
vegetables and melons, fruits and nuts; ornamental plants; livestock, poultry, eggs; fish and aquaculture products
Economy: Budget: expenditures
$344 million (2015 est.)
Economy: Budget: revenues
$389.6 million (2016 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates
1.0000 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2013
1.0000 (2013 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2014
1.0000 (2014 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2015
1.0000 (2015 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2016
1.0000 (2016 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2017
1.0000 (2017 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2018
1.0000 (2018 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2019
1.0000 (2019 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2020
1.0000 (2020 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2021
1.0000 (2021 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2022
1.0000 (2022 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2023
1.0000 (2023 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2024
1.0000 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exports - commodities
scrap iron, refined petroleum, scrap copper, hydraulic engines, integrated circuits (2021)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2011
$317.0 million (2011 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2014
$437.0 million (2014 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2015
$482.0 million (2015 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2016
$882.0 million (2016 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2017
$1.081 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2018
$660.0 million (2018 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2019
$501.0 million (2019 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2020
$128 million (2020 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2021
$55 million (2021 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2022
$244 million (2022 est.)
Economy: GDP (official exchange rate)
$1.096 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, cars, jewelry, trunks and cases, flavored water (2023)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2010
$405.0 million (2010 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2015
$635.0 million (2015 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2016
$998.0 million (2016 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2017
$969.0 million (2017 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2018
$755.0 million (2018 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2019
$734.0 million (2019 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2020
$556 million (2020 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2021
$666 million (2021 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2022
$777 million (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2014
$845 million (2014 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015
$933 million (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2016
$1.242 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2015
3.38% (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2016
29.21% (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2017
23.17% (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2018
-19.50% (2018 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2019
-11.45% (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2020
-29.06% (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2021
4.97% (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2022
16.64% (2022 est.)
Energy: Electricity access: electrification - total population
100% (2022 est.)
Environment: Climate
tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October
Environment: Environmental issues
contamination of groundwater on Saipan; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species
Environment: Land use: agricultural land
1.2% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0.8% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: forest
53% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: other
45.9% (2023 est.)
Environment: Urbanization: rate of urbanization
0.36% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Environment: Urbanization: urban population
92.07% (2024 est.)
Environment: Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually
32,800 tons (2024 est.)
Environment: Waste and recycling: percent of municipal solid waste recycled
36% (2016 est.)
Geography: Area - comparative
2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.
Geography: Area: land
464 sq km
Geography: Area: water
0 sq km
Geography: Coastline
1,482 km
Geography: Elevation: highest point
Agrihan Volcano 965 m
Geography: Elevation: lowest point
Pacific Ocean 0 m
Geography: Geographic coordinates
15 12 N, 145 45 E
Geography: Geography - note
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean
Geography: Irrigated land
1 sq km (2012)
Geography: Land boundaries: total
0 km
Geography: Land use: agricultural land
1.2% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0.8% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: forest
53% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: other
45.9% (2023 est.)
Geography: Map references
Oceania
Geography: Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Geography: Maritime claims: territorial sea
12 nm
Geography: Natural hazards
active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)
Geography: Population distribution
approximately 90% of the population lives on the island of Saipan
Geography: Terrain
the southern islands in this north-south trending archipelago are limestone, with fringing coral reefs; the northern islands are volcanic, with active volcanoes on several islands
Government: Administrative divisions
no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but 4 municipalities are considered second-order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian
Government: Capital: etymology
the origin of the name is unclear; it probably comes from a local word meaning "deserted" or "uninhabited," but stories vary on how it came to be used
Government: Capital: geographic coordinates
15 12 N, 145 45 E
Government: Capital: time difference
UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Government: Citizenship
see United States
Government: Constitution: amendment process
proposed by constitutional convention, by public petition, or by the Legislature; ratification of proposed amendments requires approval by voters at the next general election or special election; amendments proposed by constitutional convention or by petition become effective if approved by a majority of voters and at least two-thirds majority of voters in each of two senatorial districts; amendments proposed by the Legislature are effective if approved by majority vote
Government: Constitution: history
partially effective 9 January 1978 (Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands); fully effective 4 November 1986 (Covenant Agreement)
Government: Country name: abbreviation
CNMI
Government: Country name: conventional short form
Northern Mariana Islands
Government: Country name: etymology
Spain named the islands in 1667 in honor of the Spanish Queen, MARIANA of Austria
Government: Country name: former
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Mariana Islands District
Government: Dependency status
commonwealth in political union with and under the sovereignty of the US; federal funds administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy
none (commonwealth in political union with the US)
Government: Executive branch: cabinet
Sworn in by CNMI Chief Justice Alexandro Castro on Thursday, 24 July 2025
Government: Executive branch: chief of state
President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025)
Government: Executive branch: election results
2022: Arnold PALACIOS elected governor in second round; percent of vote in first round - Ralph TORRES (Republican) 38.8%; Arnold PALACIOS (independent) 32.2%, Tina SABLAN (Democrat) 28%; percent of vote in second round - Arnold PALACIOS 54%, Ralph TORRES 46%; David APATANG (independent) elected lieutenant governor 2018: Ralph TORRES elected governor; percent of vote - Ralph TORRES (Republican) 62.2%, Juan BABAUTA (independent) 37.8%; Arnold PALACIOS elected lieutenant governor
Government: Executive branch: election/appointment process
president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by an Electoral College of electors chosen from each state; president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); under the US Constitution, residents of the Northern Mariana Islands do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican party presidential primary elections; governor directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds, if needed
Government: Executive branch: expected date of next election
2026
Government: Executive branch: head of government
Governor David M. APATANG (since 24 July 2025)
Government: Executive branch: most recent election date
8 November 2022, with a runoff held on 25 November 2022
Government: Flag
description: blue with a five-pointed white star on a gray latte stone (a traditional foundation stone) in the center, surrounded by a mwáár or head lei (wreath) meaning: blue stands for the Pacific Ocean, the star for the Commonwealth, and the latte stone and mwáár for Marianas culture; the mwáár is made from four kinds of flowers: flores mayo ( Plumeria ), ylang-ylang or langilang ( Cananga odorata ), angagha or peacock flower ( Caesalpinia pulcherrima ), and teibwo or Pacific basil ( Ocimum tenuiflorum )
Government: International organization participation
PIF (observer), SPC, UPU
Government: Judicial branch: highest court(s)
Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) (consists of the chief justice and 2 associate justices); US Federal District Court (consists of 1 judge)
Government: Judicial branch: judge selection and term of office
CNMI Supreme Court judges appointed by the governor and confirmed by the CNMI Senate; judges appointed for 8-year terms and another term if directly elected in a popular election; US Federal District Court judges appointed by the US president and confirmed by the US Senate; judges appointed for renewable 10-year terms
Government: Judicial branch: subordinate courts
Superior Court
Government: Legal system
the laws of the US apply, except for customs and some aspects of taxation
Government: National anthem(s): history
official anthem, as a US commonwealth
Government: National anthem(s): lyrics/music
Francis Scott KEY/John Stafford SMITH
Government: National color(s)
blue, white
Government: National holiday
Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)
Government: National symbol(s)
latte stone
Government: Political parties
Democratic Party Republican Party
Government: Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Introduction: Background
Austronesian people settled the Northern Mariana Islands around 1500 B.C. These people became the indigenous Chamorro and were influenced by later migrations, including Micronesians in the first century A.D. and island Southeast Asians around 900. Spanish explorer Ferdinand MAGELLAN sailed through the Mariana Islands in 1521, and Spain claimed them in 1565. Spain formally colonized the Mariana Islands in 1668 and administered the archipelago from Guam. Spain’s brutal repression of the Chamorro, along with new diseases and intermittent warfare, reduced the indigenous population by about 90% in the 1700s. With a similar dynamic occurring on Guam, Spain forced the Chamorro from the Northern Mariana Islands to resettle there. By the time they returned, many other Micronesians, including Chuukese and Yapese, had already settled on their islands. In 1898, Spain ceded Guam to the US after the Spanish-American War but sold the Northern Mariana Islands to Germany under the German-Spanish Treaty of 1899. Germany administered the territory from German New Guinea but took a hands-off approach to day-to-day life. Following World War I, Japan administered the islands under a League of Nations mandate. Japan focused on sugar production and brought in thousands of Japanese laborers, who quickly outnumbered the Chamorro on the islands. During World War II, Japan invaded Guam from the Northern Mariana Islands and used Marianan Chamorro as translators with Guamanian Chamorro, creating friction between the two Chamorro communities that continues to this day. The US captured the Northern Mariana Islands in 1944 after the Battle of Saipan and later administered them as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). On four occasions in the 1950s and 1960s, voters opted for integration with Guam, which Guam rejected in 1969. In 1978, the Northern Mariana Islands was granted self-governance separate from the rest of the TTPI, and in 1986, islanders were granted US citizenship, with the territory coming under US sovereignty as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). In 2009, the CNMI became the final US territory to elect a nonvoting delegate to the US Congress.
Military and Security: Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the US
People and Society: Age structure: 0-14 years
22.1% (male 6,066/female 5,231)
People and Society: Age structure: 15-64 years
67.7% (male 18,206/female 16,377)
People and Society: Age structure: 65 years and over
10.2% (2024 est.) (male 2,772/female 2,466)
People and Society: Birth rate
15.8 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Currently married women (ages 15-49)
38.2% (2020 est.)
People and Society: Death rate
5.91 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: elderly dependency ratio
15.1 (2024 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: potential support ratio
6.6 (2024 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio
47.8 (2024 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: youth dependency ratio
32.7 (2024 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Ethnic groups
Asian 50% (includes Filipino 35.3%, Chinese 6.8%, Korean 4.2%, and other Asian 3.7%), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 34.9% (includes Chamorro 23.9%, Carolinian 4.6%, and other Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 6.4%), other 2.5%, two or more ethnicities or races 12.7% (2010 est.)
People and Society: Gross reproduction rate
1.17 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: female
9 deaths/1,000 live births
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: male
14.4 deaths/1,000 live births
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: total
11.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
People and Society: Life expectancy at birth: female
80.9 years (2024 est.)
People and Society: Life expectancy at birth: male
77.3 years (2024 est.)
People and Society: Major urban areas - population
51,000 SAIPAN (capital) (2018)
People and Society: Median age: female
33.2 years
People and Society: Median age: male
31.8 years
People and Society: Nationality: adjective
NA
People and Society: Net migration rate
-13.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Population
44,278 (2024 est.)
People and Society: Population distribution
approximately 90% of the population lives on the island of Saipan
People and Society: Population growth rate
-0.33% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Population: female
24,074
People and Society: Population: male
27,044
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: total
total: 99.4% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: total
total: 0.6% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sex ratio: 0-14 years
1.16 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: 15-64 years
1.11 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: 65 years and over
1.12 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: at birth
1.17 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: total population
1.12 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
People and Society: Total fertility rate
2.32 children born/woman (2024 est.)
People and Society: Urbanization: rate of urbanization
0.36% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
People and Society: Urbanization: urban population
92.07% (2024 est.)
Transportation: Airports
4 (2025)
Transportation: Heliports
7 (2025)
Transportation: Ports: key ports
Rota, Saipan, Tinian
Transportation: Ports: large
0
Transportation: Ports: medium
0
Transportation: Ports: ports with oil terminals
1
Transportation: Ports: small
1
Transportation: Ports: total ports
3 (2024)
Transportation: Ports: very small
2
Warning: Some information might be outdated or incorrect, please check statistics before using(most of the economical stats are correct, its mostly the Population stats that are incorrect). Some dates are listed but some are missed, if you have any issues please report it to the Github at github.com.