World Sites & Apps
Oceania · #179 · 2025–2026

New Caledonia: internet and everyday apps

New Caledonia has about 220 thousand people online — a penetration rate of 75.9% and rank #179 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 11 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 220 thousand Penetration 75.9% World rank #179 Updated 2026-11-12
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TL;DR
  • New Caledonia has roughly 220 thousand internet users (220,000 people) — about 75.9% of the population and rank #179 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Mobility, Travel, Tools and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

New Caledonia in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
220 thousand220,000 · #179
Penetration
75.9%#128
Population
290 thousand290,000 · #179
GDP
$9B#160
GDP growth
-13.5%#217
GDP per person
$29,310#60
Land area
18.6k km²#153
Capital
Nouméa
Region
Oceania
Official languages
French

How New Caledonia goes online

Nouméa keeps one foot in France and one in the Pacific, and the phone shows it: WhatsApp for the daily talk, Facebook for news from the island, French websites ordered from without a second thought. The connection is expensive, especially out in the bush, where coverage depends on a mast and on the weather. For local news, NC la 1ère is the reflex. And when a cyclone comes, everyone checks the same page at the same time and then calls the neighbours.

Around 75.9%. With a population of about 290 thousand and 220 thousand online, roughly 70 thousand people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 11 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

11 Most-used apps

Messaging

1 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Instagram Social · Meta · 2010 Facebook Social · Meta · 2004

Video

2 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005 Netflix Video · Netflix, Inc. · 1997

Shopping

1 Most-used apps →
Amazon Shopping · Amazon.com, Inc. · 1994

Payments

1 Most-used apps →
PayPal Payments · PayPal · 1998

Mobility

1 Most-used apps →
Uber Mobility · Uber Technologies · 2009

Travel

1 Most-used apps →
Booking.com Travel · Booking Holdings · 1996

Tools

2 Most-used apps →
Google Tools · Google · 1998 Gmail Tools · Google · 2004

Websites people in New Caledonia actually use

7

The 7 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

Transport2News1Government1Travel1Telecom1Education1
AircalinTransportaircalin.comNew Caledonia's international airline, flying from Nouméa to Australia, Japan and Paris. Air CalédonieTransportair-caledonie.ncThe inter-island flights. Les Nouvelles CalédoniennesNewslnc.ncNew Caledonia’s daily paper — Nouméa politics, the nickel industry, the courts and the classifieds. Government of New CaledoniaGovernmentgouv.ncThe government portal — benefits, permits, tax deadlines and official announcements. New Caledonia TourismTravelnouvelle-caledonie-tourisme.comThe official tourism site — Île des Pins, Lifou, the lagoon and the boats and flights that reach them. Office des Postes et TélécommunicationsTelecomopt.ncNew Caledonia's postal and telecoms operator, providing internet, mobile and landline service across the territory. University of New CaledoniaEducationunc.ncThe territory’s university.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in New Caledonia are online?

About 220 thousand (220,000 people). That works out to roughly 75.9% of the population, which puts New Caledonia at #179 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in New Caledonia use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Mobility, Travel, Tools. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in New Caledonia?

WhatsApp dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in New Caledonia?

Around 75.9%. With a population of about 290 thousand and 220 thousand online, roughly 70 thousand people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in New Caledonia?

The everyday ones are Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes, Government of New Caledonia, New Caledonia Tourism, plus the other 7 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “New Caledonia: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/nc-en.html