The CNMI population shrunk by 22%, or just over 15 thousand people over the past ten years.
The U.S. Census Bureau says from 69,221 in 2000, the Commonwealth's population decreased to 53,883 on April 1, 2010.
The loss results from a host of factors that include a series of economic setbacks, the demise of the garment industry, and the unremitting drop in tourist arrivals.
Some 89-percent of the CNMI's total population of 53,883 is on Saipan with 48,220, followed by Tinian with 3,136, then Rota with 2,527.
Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan says a decrease in population could mean a decline in federal formula grants, which are based on population.
