Fiji Travel Podcast with Salote Waqa

Location

Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Terrain

Mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Climate

Tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Elevation

Highest point

Tomanivi 1,324 m

Lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Area

Total

18,274 sq km

Land

18,274 sq km

Water

0 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than New Jersey

Coastline

1,129 km

Land borders

Total 0 km

Natural resources

Timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land

17.1% (2023 est.)

Arable land

4.2% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

3.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

9.5% (2023 est.)

Forest

61.7% (2023 est.)

Other

21.2% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Note

Consists of 332 islands, approximately 110 of which are inhabited, and more than 500 islets

Population

Total

951,611 (2024 est.)

Male

482,304

Female

469,307

Nationality

Noun

Fijian(s)

Adjective

Fijian

Ethnic groups

ITaukei 56.8% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indo-Fijian 37.5%, Rotuman 1.2%, other 4.5% (European, part European, other Pacific Islanders, Chinese) (2007 est.)

Languages

English (official), iTaukei (official), Fiji Hindi (official)

Religions

Protestant 45% (Methodist 34.6%, Assembly of God 5.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 3.9%, and Anglican 0.8%), Hindu 27.9%, other Christian 10.4%, Roman Catholic 9.1%, Muslim 6.3%, Sikh 0.3%, other 0.3%, none 0.8% (2007 est.)

Median age

Total

32 years (2025 est.)

Male

31.4 years

Female

31.8 years

Life expectancy

Total population

74.8 years (2024 est.)

Male

72.2 years

Female

77.6 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

58.7% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

1.37% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Approximately 70% of the population lives on the island of Viti Levu; roughly half of the population lives in urban areas

Largest cities

178,000 SUVA (capital) (2018)

Background

Austronesians settled Fiji around 1000 B.C., followed by successive waves of Melanesians starting around the first century A.D. Fijians traded with Polynesian groups in Samoa and Tonga, and by about 900, much of Fiji was in the Tu’i Tongan Empire’s sphere of influence. The Tongan influence declined significantly by 1200, while Melanesian seafarers continued to periodically arrive in Fiji, further mixing Melanesian and Polynesian cultural traditions. The first European spotted Fiji in 1643 and by the 1800s, European merchants, missionaries, traders, and whalers frequented the islands. Rival kings and chiefs competed for power, at times aided by Europeans, and in 1865, Seru Epenisa CAKOBAU united many groups into the Confederacy of Independent Kingdoms of Viti. The arrangement proved weak, however, and in 1871 CAKOBAU formed the Kingdom of Fiji in an attempt to centralize power. Fearing a hostile takeover by a foreign power as the kingdom’s economy began to falter, CAKOBAU ceded Fiji to the UK in 1874.

The first British governor set up a plantation-style economy and brought in more than 60,000 Indians as indentured laborers, most of whom chose to stay in Fiji rather than return to India when their contracts expired. In the early 1900s, society was divided along ethnic lines, with iTaukei (indigenous Fijians), Europeans, and Indo-Fijians living in separate areas and maintaining their own languages and traditions. ITaukei fears of an Indo-Fijian takeover of government delayed independence through the 1960s; Fiji achieved independence in 1970 with agreements to allocate parliamentary seats by ethnic groups. After two coups in 1987, a new constitution in 1990 cemented iTaukei control of politics, leading thousands of Indo-Fijians to leave. A reformed constitution in 1997 was more equitable and led to the election of an Indo-Fijian prime minister in 1999, who was ousted in a coup the following year. In 2005, the new prime minister put forward a bill that would grant pardons to the coup perpetrators, leading Josaia Voreqe "Frank" BAINIMARAMA to launch a coup in 2006. BAINIMARAMA appointed himself prime minister in 2007 and retained the position after elections in 2014 and 2018 that international observers deemed credible. BAINIMARAMA's party lost control of the prime minister position after elections in 2022 with former opposition leader Sitiveni Ligamamada RABUKA winning the office by a narrow margin.

Government

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Suva (on Viti Levu)

Time zone

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Republic of Fiji (English)/ Matanitu ko Viti (Fijian)

Independence

10 October 1970 (from the UK)

National day

Fiji (Independence) Day, 10 October (1970)

Overview

Upper-middle income, tourism-based Pacific island economy; susceptible to ocean rises; key energy and infrastructure investments; post-pandemic tourism resurgence; improved debt standing; limited workforce

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$14,100 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$13,700 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$12,800 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

4.5% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

2.3% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

4.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

4.4% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

4.4% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

4.5% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Fijian dollars (FJD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

2.268 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

2.25 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

2.201 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

2.071 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

2.169 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Tourism, sugar processing, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber

Agriculture

Sugarcane, cassava, taro, vegetables, chicken, coconuts, eggs, ginger, milk, sweet potatoes (2023)

Airports

26 (2025)

Railways

Total

597 km (2008)

Narrow gauge

597 km (2008) 0.600-m gauge

Ports

Total ports

5 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

0

Small

2

Very small

3

Ports with oil terminals

4

Key ports

Lautoka Harbor, Levuka, Malai, Savusavu Bay, Suva Harbor

Internet domain

.fj

Internet users

Percent of population 79% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

5.33 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

574 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution from waste incineration and vehicle emissions; deforestation and soil erosion; soil erosion from clearing land by bush burning

Fresh water

28.55 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)