{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "Humans arrived in the Marshall Islands in the first millennium B.C. and gradually created permanent settlements on the various atolls. The early inhabitants were skilled navigators who frequently traveled between atolls using stick charts to map the islands. Society became organized under two paramount chiefs, one each for the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain and the Ralik (Sunset) Chain. The traditional hierarchy continued even after contact with Europeans in the early 1500s. Spain formally claimed the islands in 1592, but few other Europeans passed by the islands in the next two centuries. In 1788, British sea captain John MARSHALL undertook an exploratory voyage, and the islands were mapped in the early 1800s by Russian explorers. In the 1850s, US Protestant missionaries began arriving on the islands. Germany established a supply station on Jaluit Atoll and bought the islands from Spain in 1884, although paramount chiefs continued to rule.<br><br>Japan seized the Marshall Islands in 1914 and was granted a League of Nations Mandate to administer the islands in 1920. Japan built large military bases throughout the Marshall Islands, and during World War II, the US captured the bases on Kwajalein, Enewetak, and Majuro Atolls in Operations Flintlock and Catchpole. The Marshall Islands came under US administration as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) in 1947. Between 1946 and 1958, the US resettled populations from Bikini and Enewetak Atolls and conducted 67 nuclear tests; people from Ailinginae and Rongelap Atolls were also evacuated because of nuclear fallout, and all four atolls remain largely uninhabited. In 1979, the Marshall Islands drafted a constitution separate from the rest of the TTPI and declared independence under President Amata KABUA, a paramount chief. In 2000, Kessai NOTE became the first commoner elected president. In 2016, Hilda HEINE was the first woman elected president.<br><br>In 1982, the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the US, which granted the Marshall Islands 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 and its funding was renewed in 2003. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network. Kwajalein also hosts one of four dedicated ground antennas that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system (the others are at Cape Canaveral, Florida (US), on Ascension (Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha), and at Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory))."
    }
  },
  "Geography": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Oceania, consists of 29 atolls and five isolated islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia; the atolls and islands are situated in two, almost-parallel island chains - the Ratak (Sunrise) group and the Ralik (Sunset) group; the total number of islands and islets is about 1,225; 22 of the atolls and four of the islands are uninhabited"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "9 00 N, 168 00 E"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Oceania"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total": {
        "text": "181 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "181 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "0 sq km"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> the archipelago includes 11,673 sq km of lagoon waters and encompasses the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik"
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "about the size of Washington, DC"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "total": {
        "text": "0 km"
      }
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "370.4 km"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "territorial sea": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      },
      "contiguous zone": {
        "text": "24 nm"
      },
      "exclusive economic zone": {
        "text": "200 nm"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "low coral limestone and sand islands"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "highest point": {
        "text": "East-central Airik Island, Maloelap Atoll 14 m"
      },
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Pacific Ocean 0 m"
      },
      "mean elevation": {
        "text": "2 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "50.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 7.8% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 31.2% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 11.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "49.3% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "0% (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "0 sq km (2022)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "most people live in urban clusters found on many of the country's islands; more than two-thirds of the population lives on the atolls of Majuro and Ebeye"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "infrequent typhoons"
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "the islands of Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein atoll, famous as a World War II battleground, surrounds the world's largest lagoon and is used as a US missile test range; the island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Population": {
      "text": "80,966 (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Marshallese (singular and plural)"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Marshallese"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "Marshallese 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2% (2006 est.)"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "Languages": {
        "text": "Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 est.)"
      },
      "major-language sample(s)": {
        "text": "<p><br>Bok eo an Lalin kin Melele ko Rejimwe ej jikin ebōk melele ko raurōk. (Marshallese)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.</p>"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> English (official), widely spoken as a second language"
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "Protestant 80.5% (United Church of Christ 47%, Assembly of God 16.2%, Bukot Nan Jesus 5.4%, Full Gospel 3.3%, Reformed Congressional Church 3%, Salvation Army 1.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, Meram in Jesus 1.2%, other Protestant 1.1%), Roman Catholic 8.5%, Church of Jesus Christ 7%, Jehovah's Witness 1.7%,&nbsp; other 1.2%, none 1.1% (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Age structure": {
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "30.65% (male 12,642/female 12,175)"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "63.83% (male 26,237/female 25,445)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "5.52% (2023 est.) (male 2,187/female 2,280)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "59.9"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "53"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "6.8"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "14.7 (2021)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "23.8 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "23.6 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "23.9 years (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "1.3% (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "21.61 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-4.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "most people live in urban clusters found on many of the country's islands; more than two-thirds of the population lives on the atolls of Majuro and Ebeye"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "78.9% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "31,000 MAJURO (capital) (2018)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "1.03 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.96 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "1.03 male(s)/female (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "21.13 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "24.56 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "17.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "74.92 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "72.68 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "77.26 years (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "2.72 children born/woman (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Gross reproduction rate": {
      "text": "1.33 (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Contraceptive prevalence rate": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 100% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 99.8% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 100% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 0% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 0.2% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 0% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Current health expenditure": {
      "text": "13% of GDP (2020)"
    },
    "Physicians density": {
      "text": "0.42 physicians/1,000 population (2012)"
    },
    "Hospital bed density": {
      "text": "2.7 beds/1,000 population"
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 96.6% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 65.4% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 89.7% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 3.4% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 34.6% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 10.3% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "52.9% (2016)"
    },
    "Tobacco use": {
      "total": {
        "text": "28.5% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "48.7% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "8.3% (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": {
      "text": "11.9% (2017)"
    },
    "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": {
      "text": "68.3% (2022 est.)"
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "13.6% of GDP (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Literacy": {
      "definition": {
        "text": "age 15 and over can read and write"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "98.3%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "98.3%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "98.2% (2011)"
      }
    },
    "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "10 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "10 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "10 years (2019)"
      }
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "26%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "31%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "14.2% (2019 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Environment": {
    "Environment - current issues": {
      "text": "inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels; sea level rise"
    },
    "Environment - international agreements": {
      "party to": {
        "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling"
      },
      "signed, but not ratified": {
        "text": "none of the selected agreements"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "50.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 7.8% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 31.2% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 11.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "49.3% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "0% (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "78.9% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "0.61% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Revenue from forest resources": {
      "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Air pollutants": {
      "particulate matter emissions": {
        "text": "9.43 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)"
      },
      "carbon dioxide emissions": {
        "text": "0.14 megatons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "methane emissions": {
        "text": "0.03 megatons (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Waste and recycling": {
      "municipal solid waste generated annually": {
        "text": "8,614 tons (2013 est.)"
      },
      "municipal solid waste recycled annually": {
        "text": "2,653 tons (2007 est.)"
      },
      "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": {
        "text": "30.8% (2007 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total renewable water resources": {
      "text": "0 cubic meters (2017 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "Republic of the Marshall Islands"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "Marshall Islands"
      },
      "local long form": {
        "text": "Republic of the Marshall Islands"
      },
      "local short form": {
        "text": "Marshall Islands"
      },
      "former": {
        "text": "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands District"
      },
      "abbreviation": {
        "text": "RMI"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "named after British Captain John MARSHALL, who charted many of the islands in 1788"
      }
    },
    "Government type": {
      "text": "mixed presidential-parliamentary system in free association with the US"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Majuro; note - the capital is an atoll of 64 islands; governmental buildings are housed on three fused islands on the eastern side of the atoll: Djarrit, Uliga, and Delap"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "7 06 N, 171 23 E"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "Majuro means \"two openings\" or \"two eyes\" and refers to the two major northern passages through the atoll into the Majuro lagoon"
      }
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "24 municipalities; Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikini &amp; Kili, Ebon, Enewetak &amp; Ujelang, Jabat, Jaluit, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Ujae, Utrik, Wotho, Wotje"
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "history": {
        "text": "effective 1 May 1979"
      },
      "amendments": {
        "text": "proposed by the National Parliament or by a constitutional convention; passage by Parliament requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership in each of two readings and approval by a majority of votes in a referendum; amendments submitted by a constitutional convention require approval of at least two thirds of votes in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2018"
      }
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "mixed legal system of US and English common law, customary law, and local statutes"
    },
    "International law organization participation": {
      "text": "accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction"
    },
    "Citizenship": {
      "citizenship by birth": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "citizenship by descent only": {
        "text": "at least one parent must be a citizen of the Marshall Islands"
      },
      "dual citizenship recognized": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "residency requirement for naturalization": {
        "text": "5 years"
      }
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "18 years of age; universal"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "President David KABUA&nbsp;(since&nbsp; 13 January 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "President David KABUA&nbsp;(since&nbsp;13 January 2020)"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "Cabinet nominated by the president from among members of the Nitijela, appointed by Nitijela speaker"
      },
      "elections/appointments": {
        "text": "president indirectly elected by the Nitijela from among its members for a 4-year term (no term limits); election last held on&nbsp;6 January 2020 (next to be held in 2024)"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "David KABUA&nbsp;elected president; Parliament vote - David KABUA&nbsp;20, Hilda C. HEINE&nbsp;12"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "description": {
        "text": "unicameral National Parliament consists of:<br>Nitijela (33 seats; members in 19 single- and 5 multi-seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms); note - the Council of Iroij, a 12-member group of tribal leaders advises the Presidential Cabinet and reviews legislation affecting customary law or any traditional practice); members appointed to serve 1-year terms"
      },
      "elections": {
        "text": "last held on 18 November 2019 (next to be held by November 2023)"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 33; composition - men 31, women 2, percent of women 6.1%"
      }
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest court(s)": {
        "text": "Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 2 associate justices)"
      },
      "judge selection and term of office": {
        "text": "judges appointed by the Cabinet upon the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission (consists of the chief justice of the High Court, the attorney general and a private citizen selected by the Cabinet) and upon approval of the Nitijela; the current chief justice, appointed in 2013, serves for 10 years; Marshallese citizens appointed as justices serve until retirement at age 72"
      },
      "subordinate courts": {
        "text": "High Court; District Courts; Traditional Rights Court; Community Courts"
      }
    },
    "Political parties and leaders": {
      "text": "traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures"
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "ACP, ADB, AOSIS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, WHO"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador Gerald M. ZACKIOS (since 16 September 2016)"
      },
      "chancery": {
        "text": "2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 234-5414"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 232-3236"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>info@rmiembassyus.org<br><br>https://www.rmiembassyus.org/"
      },
      "consulate(s) general": {
        "text": "Honolulu, Springdale (AR)"
      }
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador Roxanne CABRAL (since 6 February 2020)"
      },
      "embassy": {
        "text": "Mejen Weto, Ocean Side, Majuro"
      },
      "mailing address": {
        "text": "4380 Majuro Place, Washington DC&nbsp; 20521-4380"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[692] 247-4011"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[692] 247-4012"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>MAJConsular@state.gov<br><br>https://mh.usembassy.gov/"
      }
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays appears on the hoist side above the two stripes; blue represents the Pacific Ocean, the orange stripe signifies the Ralik Chain or sunset and courage, while the white stripe signifies the Ratak Chain or sunrise and peace; the star symbolizes the cross of Christianity, each of the 24 rays designates one of the electoral districts in the country and the four larger rays highlight the principal cultural centers of Majuro, Jaluit, Wotje, and Ebeye; the rising diagonal band can also be interpreted as representing the equator, with the star showing the archipelago's position just to the north"
    },
    "National symbol(s)": {
      "text": "a 24-rayed star; national colors: blue, white, orange"
    },
    "National anthem": {
      "name": {
        "text": "\"Forever Marshall Islands\""
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "Amata KABUA"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> adopted 1981"
    },
    "National heritage": {
      "total World Heritage Sites": {
        "text": "1 (cultural)"
      },
      "selected World Heritage Site locales": {
        "text": "Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test Site"
      }
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economic overview": {
      "text": "upper middle-income Pacific island economy; US aid reliance; large public sector workforce; produces coconut oil as a substitute to diesel fuel; becoming offshore banking locale; fishing rights seller; import-dependent"
    },
    "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": {
        "text": "$250.694 million (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": {
        "text": "$247.93 million (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": {
        "text": "$252.582 million (2019 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars"
    },
    "Real GDP growth rate": {
      "Real GDP growth rate 2021": {
        "text": "1.11% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2020": {
        "text": "-1.84% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2019": {
        "text": "10.84% (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Real GDP per capita": {
      "Real GDP per capita 2021": {
        "text": "$6,000 (2021 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2020": {
        "text": "$5,700 (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2019": {
        "text": "$5,600 (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$222 million (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": {
        "text": "0% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016": {
        "text": "-1.5% (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "4.4% (2013 est.)"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "9.9% (2013 est.)"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "85.7% (2013 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "50% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "17.8% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "0.2% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "52.9% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-102.3% (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Agricultural products": {
      "text": "coconuts"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items (from seashells, wood, and pearls)"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "-3.66% (2021 est.) NA"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "10,670 (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force - by occupation": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "11%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "16.3%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "72.7% (2011 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "Unemployment rate 2006": {
        "text": "36% (2006 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2000": {
        "text": "30.9% (2000 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "26%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "31%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "14.2% (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": {
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2019": {
        "text": "35.5 (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "NA"
      }
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "$148 million (2019 est.)"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "$153 million (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": {
      "text": "1.3% (of GDP) (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "Public debt 2019": {
        "text": "41.71% of GDP (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Public debt 2018": {
        "text": "44.14% of GDP (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Public debt 2017": {
        "text": "47.95% of GDP (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "17.16% (of GDP) (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Fiscal year": {
      "text": "1 October - 30 September"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "Current account balance 2020": {
        "text": "-$1.182 million (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2019": {
        "text": "$56.998 million (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2018": {
        "text": "$53.031 million (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exports": {
      "Exports 2020": {
        "text": "$76.734 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars"
      },
      "Exports 2019": {
        "text": "$54.987 million (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2018": {
        "text": "$128.904 million (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "Poland 28%, Denmark 19%, South Korea 13%, Indonesia 10%, Cyprus 6% (2019)"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "ships, recreational boats, skipjack, tuna, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment (2021)"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "Imports 2020": {
        "text": "$171.201 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars"
      },
      "Imports 2019": {
        "text": "$91.814 million (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2018": {
        "text": "$174.722 million (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "South Korea 39%, China 27%, Japan 15% (2019)"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "ships, refined petroleum, centrifuges, recreational boats, boat propellers (2019)"
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "Debt - external 2013": {
        "text": "$97.96 million (2013 est.)"
      },
      "Debt - external 2008": {
        "text": "$87 million (2008 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "text": "<p>the US dollar is used</p>"
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity access": {
      "electrification - total population": {
        "text": "99.7% (2021)"
      },
      "electrification - urban areas": {
        "text": "96% (2021)"
      },
      "electrification - rural areas": {
        "text": "92% (2020)"
      }
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - production": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - exports": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - imports": {
      "text": "2,060 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions": {
      "text": "293,700 metric tonnes of CO2 (2017 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "2,361 (2014 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "5 (2014 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "16,000 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "38 (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telecommunication systems": {
      "general assessment": {
        "text": "the National Telecommunications Act, through Bill No. 66, ushered in a new era in telecommunications in the Marshall Islands; this will enable an open, competitive market for telecommunications that is regulated by a Telecommunications Commissioner; telecom officials announced that they would be able to offer satellite internet services beginning in mid-2023; the World Bank has been promoting telecommunications reform here for a decade and has a multi-million-dollar telecommunications reform grant program in progress (2022)"
      },
      "domestic": {
        "text": "fixed-line roughly 5 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular is nearly 38 per 100 persons (2021)"
      },
      "international": {
        "text": "country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein"
      }
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "no TV broadcast station; a cable network is available on Majuro with programming via videotape replay and satellite relays; 4 radio broadcast stations; American Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) provides satellite radio and television service to Kwajalein Atoll (2019)"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".mh"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "total": {
        "text": "16,254 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "38.7% (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1,000 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "2 (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Communications - note": {
      "text": "Kwajalein hosts one of four dedicated ground antennas that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system (the others are at Cape Canaveral, Florida (US), on Ascension (Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha), and at Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory))"
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "National air transport system": {
      "number of registered air carriers": {
        "text": "1 (2020)"
      },
      "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": {
        "text": "3"
      },
      "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": {
        "text": "24,313 (2018)"
      },
      "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": {
        "text": "130,000 (2018) mt-km"
      }
    },
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "V7"
    },
    "Airports": {
      "text": "15 (2021)"
    },
    "Airports - with paved runways": {
      "text": "4",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)"
    },
    "Airports - with unpaved runways": {
      "text": "11",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control"
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "2,028 km (2007)"
      },
      "paved": {
        "text": "75 km (2007)"
      },
      "unpaved": {
        "text": "1,953 km"
      }
    },
    "Merchant marine": {
      "total": {
        "text": "4,042"
      },
      "by type": {
        "text": "bulk carrier 1,879 container ship 276, general cargo 62, oil tanker 1023, other 802 (2022)"
      }
    },
    "Ports and terminals": {
      "major seaport(s)": {
        "text": "Enitwetak Island, Kwajalein, Majuro"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military and security forces": {
      "text": "no regular military forces; the national police (Marshall Islands Police Department, MIPD), local police forces, and the Sea Patrol (maritime police) maintain internal security; the MIPD and Sea Patrol report to the Ministry of Justice; local police report to their respective local government councils (2023)"
    },
    "Military - note": {
      "text": "defense is the responsibility of the US<br><br>the Marshall Islands have 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 its 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 (2023)"
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Disputes - international": {
      "text": "<p><em>Marshall Islands-US</em>: claims US territory of Wake Island; the Marshall Islands put its claim on record with the UN in 2016</p> <p> </p>"
    }
  }
}