Region Report 2018: Oceania

Abstract

Oceania is a region of the South Pacific Ocean that comprises multiple islands. The United Nations divides the region into four sub-regions: Australia and New Zealand (including also the Christmas Islands, Keeling Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and Norfolk Island), Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The entire region has an estimated population of almost 39 million; Australia and New Zealand account for 75 percent of the population in the region. However, the second most populated country in Oceania is Papua New Guinea in Melanesia, with 8 million inhabitants.