New Caledonia's latest census figures show that for the first time in 30 years more people left the territory than moved to it.
Photo: RNZ Walter Zweifel
The just released 2019 figures show that since 2014 New Caledonia has had a migration deficit of just under 10,000 people.
However, the population has grown by one percent and is now 271,100,
Over the five-year period, the population increased naturally by 2500 a year.
Suburban areas of Noumea have seen growth of up to 19 percent as for the first time the city itself has seen a population decline.
The Northern Province lost 800 people in the period, which has contributed to the Southern Province now accounting for three quarters of New Caledonia's inhabitants.
