Pacific island small states: Mineral rents (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Pacific island small states' mineral rents (% of GDP) rose 0.27 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.22% to 0.49%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.23 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.59 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.64 percentage points in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.06 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 33% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Mineral rents are the difference between the value of production for a stock of minerals at world prices and their total costs of production. Minerals included in the calculation are tin, gold, lead, zinc, iron, copper, nickel, silver, bauxite, and phosphate.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 52 values

Mineral rents (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 0% (2021)
• Algeria — 0.00379% (2021)
• Bahrain — 0% (2021)
• Djibouti — 0% (2021)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 0% (2021)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 3.36% (2021)
• Iraq — 0% (2021)
• Israel — 0% (2021)
• Jordan — 0% (2021)
• Kuwait — 0% (2020)
• Lebanon — 0% (2021)
• Libya

More environment data for Pacific island small states

• Rural population — 1.63 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 59.12% (2025)
• Urban population — 1.13 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 40.88% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 31,244 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 875,661 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 906,904 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — 0.68% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Pacific island small states's mineral rents (% of GDP)?

0.49% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 0.49 percentage points from 0% in 1970. The highest value was 1.27% in 2012 and the lowest 0% in 1970.

Is the latest change in mineral rents (% of GDP) unusual for Pacific island small states?

In 2021, Pacific island small states' mineral rents (% of GDP) rose 0.27 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.22% to 0.49%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.23 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GDP.MINR.RT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/changing-wealth-of-nations/data, note: World Bank staff estimates based on sources and methods described in the World Bank's The Changing Wealth of Nations., publisher: World Bank (WB); Staff estimates, Wo… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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