This article is about the demographic features of the population of Tuvalu, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. 96% of the Tuvaluans are ethnic Polynesians, closely related to the people of Samoa and Tonga. There is evidence for a dual genetic origin of Pacific Islanders in Asia and Melanesia, which results from an analysis of Y chromosome (NRY) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers; there is also evidence that Fiji playing a pivotal role in west-to-east expansion within Polynesia. The vast majority of Tuvaluans belong to the Church of Tuvalu, a Protestant denomination. Their ancestors were converted by Christian missionaries in the 19th century. School attendance at school is 10 years for males and 11 years for females (2001). Adult literacy rate is 99.0% (2002). Life expectancy for women in Tuvalu is 66.9 years and 62.7 years for men (2011 est.). The country’s population has more than doubled since 1980, with a growth rate of 0.702%. The population at the 2002 census was 9,561, and the 2012 census was 10,837 (2012 Population & Housing Census Preliminary Analytical Report). The net migration rate is estimated at -7.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.).
