One-century after European contact the Native Hawaiian population of Hawai‘i declined nearly 80%. It would not be speculation to assert that Native Hawaiians bore the brunt of the population decline. While abortion and infanticide were in limited practice prior to 1778, foreign contact introduced a host of apocalyptic agents. Population decline was due in part to venereal disease-resulting in sterility, miscarriages, and death-and epidemics such as small pox, measles, whooping cough and influenza. Decline was also accelerated by a low fertility rate, high infant mortality, poor housing, inadequate medical care, inferior sanitation, hunger and malnutrition, alcohol and tobacco use. Over two centuries after European contact many of these situations still exist.
A seven-fold increase in the overall population occurred in a 90-year period. Peak annual growth rates occurred from 1910 through 1930. The increase was not due to a rejuvenated Native Hawaiian population. Rather, the heavy labor demands of an expanding plantation economy and the limited availability of local labor resulted in a flood of more than 250,000 foreign laborers during the three decades following Annexation (1898). Most of the laborers who arrived during the early 1900s were Japanese and Filipino. Laborers from Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Korea were also brought in, but in smaller numbers. While many of these laborers returned home, many choose to remain in the islands. Importation of foreign laborers ended during the early 1930s resulting in a reduced growth rate.
| Year |
Population Estimates |
Hawaiian |
Part Hawaiian |
| 1778 |
300,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1796 |
270,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1803 |
266,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1804 |
154,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1805 |
152,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1819 |
144,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1823 |
134,925 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1832 |
124,449 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1836 |
107,954 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1849 |
87,063 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1850 |
84,165 |
n/a |
n/a |
| 1853 |
73,138 |
70,036 |
983 |
| 1860 |
69,800 |
65,647 |
1,337 |
| 1866 |
62,959 |
57,125 |
1,640 |
| 1872 |
56,897 |
49,044 |
2,487 |
| 1878 |
57,985 |
44,088 |
3,420 |
| 1884 |
80,578 |
40,014 |
4,218 |
| 1890 |
89,990 |
34,436 |
6,186 |
| 1896 |
109,020 |
31,019 |
8,485 |
| 1900 |
154,001 |
29,799 |
9,857 |
| 1910 |
191,909 |
26,041 |
12,506 |
| 1920 |
255,912 |
23,723 |
18,027 |
| 1930 |
368,336 |
22,636 |
28,224 |
| 1940 |
423,330 |
14,375 |
49,935 |
| 1950 |
499,769 |
12,245 |
73,845 |
| 1960 |
632,772 |
11,294 |
91,109 |
| 1970* |
768,559 |
71,274 |
n/a |
| 1980* |
964,691 |
115,500 |
n/a |
| 1990* |
1,108,229 |
138,742 |
n/a |
| *In the years of 1970-1990 the
Hawaiian and Part-Hawaiian catagories are combined into one catagory as
defined by the Census Bureau . |
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