Solomon Islands

Settlers from Papua arrived on the Solomon Islands around 30,000 years ago. About 6,000 years ago, Austronesian settlers came to the islands, and the two groups mixed extensively. Despite significant inter-island trade, no attempts were made to unite the islands into a single political entity. In 1568, a Spanish explorer became the first European to spot the islands. After a failed Spanish attempt at creating a permanent European settlement in the late 1500s, the Solomon Islands remained free of European contact until a British explorer arrived in 1767. European explorers and US and British whaling ships regularly visited the islands into the 1800s.Germany declared a protectorate over the northern Solomon Islands in 1885, and the UK established a protectorate over the southern islands in 1893. In 1899, Germany transferred its islands to the UK in exchange for the UK relinquishing all claims in Samoa. In 1942, Japan invaded the islands, and the Guadalcanal Campaign (August 1942-February 1943) proved a turning point in the Pacific war. The fighting destroyed large parts of the Solomon Islands, and a nationalist movement emerged near the end of the war. By 1960, the British allowed some local autonomy. The islands were granted self-government in 1976 and independence two years later under Prime Minister Sir Peter KENILOREA.In 1999, longstanding tensions between ethnic Guale in Honiara and ethnic Malaitans in Honiara’s suburbs erupted in civil war, leading thousands of Malaitans to take refuge in Honiara and prompting Guale to flee the city. In 2000, newly elected Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE focused on peace agreements and distributing resources equally among groups, but his actions bankrupted the government in 2001 and led to his ouster. In 2003, the Solomon Islands requested international assistance to reestablish law and order; the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, which ended in 2017, improved the security situation. In 2006, however, riots broke out in Honiara, and the city’s Chinatown was burned amid allegations that the prime minister took money from China. SOGAVARE was reelected prime minister for a fourth time in 2019. When a small group of protestors, mostly from the island of Malaita, approached parliament to lodge a petition calling for SOGAVARE’s removal and more development in Malaita in 2021, police fired tear gas into the crowd which sparked rioting and looting in Honiara. 

land

27,986 sq km

total

28,896 sq km

water

910 sq km

slightly smaller than Maryland

tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes

5,313 km

highest point

Mount Popomanaseu 2,335 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

8 00 S, 159 00 E

strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; Rennell Island, the southernmost in the Solomon Islands chain, is one of the world’s largest raised coral atolls; the island’s Lake Tegano, formerly a lagoon on the atoll, is the largest lake in the insular Pacific (15,500 hectares)

0 sq km (2022)

total

0 km

agricultural land

3.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 2.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.3% (2018 est.)

forest

78.9% (2018 est.)

other

17.2% (2018 est.)

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea

Oceania

continental shelf

200 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

note

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

territorial sea

12 nm

tropical cyclones, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamisvolcanism: Tinakula (851 m) has frequent eruption activity, while an eruption of Savo (485 m) could affect the capital Honiara on nearby Guadalcanal

fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel

most of the population lives along the coastal regions; about one in five live in urban areas, and of these some two-thirds reside in Honiara, the largest town and chief port

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

0-14 years

30.6% (male 114,246/female 108,020)

15-64 years

64.2% (male 238,708/female 227,636)

65 years and over

5.3% (2024 est.) (male 18,016/female 20,173)

beer

1.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

22 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

16.2% (2015)

29.3% (2015)

4.4% of GDP (2020)

64.1% (2023 est.)

3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

6

potential support ratio

16.5 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

74.8

youth dependency ratio

68.8

improved: rural

rural: 65.9% of population

improved: total

total: 73.1% of population

improved: urban

urban: 95% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 34.1% of population

unimproved: total

total: 26.9% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 5% of population

12.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

Melanesian 95.3%, Polynesian 3.1%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 0.3% (2009 est.)

1.35 (2024 est.)

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2012)

female

15.2 deaths/1,000 live births

male

22.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total

19.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Melanesian pidgin (lingua franca in much of the country), English (official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population), 120 indigenous languages

female

80 years

male

74.6 years

total population

77.2 years (2024 est.)

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

82,000 HONIARA (capital) (2018)

122 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

25.4 years

male

25 years

total

25.2 years (2024 est.)

22.6 years (2015 est.)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

adjective

Solomon Islander

noun

Solomon Islander(s)

-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

22.5% (2016)

0.19 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

female

355,829 (2024 est.)

male

370,970

total

726,799

most of the population lives along the coastal regions; about one in five live in urban areas, and of these some two-thirds reside in Honiara, the largest town and chief port

1.65% (2024 est.)

Protestant 73.4% (Church of Melanesia 31.9%, South Sea Evangelical 17.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 11.7%, United Church 10.1%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.5%), Roman Catholic 19.6%, other Christian 2.9%, other 4%, unspecified 0.1% (2009 est.)

improved: rural

rural: 22.6% of population

improved: total

total: 40.6% of population

improved: urban

urban: 95.6% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 77.4% of population

unimproved: total

total: 59.4% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 4.4% of population

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.89 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

19.2% (2020 est.)

male

53.8% (2020 est.)

total

36.5% (2020 est.)

2.77 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

26% of total population (2023)

9 provinces and 1 city*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira and Ulawa, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western

etymology

the name derives from "nagho ni ara," which in one of the Guadalcanal languages roughly translates as "facing the eastern wind"

geographic coordinates

9 26 S, 159 57 E

name

Honiara

time difference

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of the Solomon Islands

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

7 years

amendments

proposed by the National Parliament; passage of constitutional sections, including those on fundamental rights and freedoms, the legal system, Parliament, alteration of the constitution and the ombudsman, requires three-fourths majority vote by Parliament and assent of the governor general; passage of other amendments requires two-thirds majority vote and assent of the governor general; amended several times, last in 2018

history

adopted 31 May 1978, effective 7 July 1978; note - in late 2017, provincial leaders agreed to adopt a new federal constitution; progress has been stalled, but as of February 2023, the draft constitution was with the Constitutional Review Unit in the prime minister's office 

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Solomon Islands

etymology

Spanish explorer Alvaro de MENDANA named the isles in 1568 after the wealthy biblical King SOLOMON in the mistaken belief that the islands contained great riches

former

British Solomon Islands

local long form

none

local short form

Solomon Islands

chief of mission

Ambassador Ann Marie YASTISHOCK (since 14 March 2024); note - also accredited to the Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

embassy

BJS BuildingCommonwealth AvenueHoniara, Solomon Islands

FAX

[677] 27429

telephone

[677] 23426

chancery

685 Third Avenue, 11th Floor, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10017

chief of mission

Ambassador Jane Mugafalu Kabui WAETARA (since 16 September 2022); note - also Permanent Representative to the UN

email address and website

simun@solomons.com

FAX

[1] (212) 661-8925

telephone

[1] (212) 599-6192

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General David Tiva KAPU (since 7 July 2024)

elections/appointments

the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the National Parliament for up to 5 years (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the National Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among members of the National Parliament

head of government

Prime Minister Jeremiah MANELE (since 2 May 2024)

divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green; blue represents the ocean, green the land, and yellow sunshine; the five stars stand for the five main island groups of the Solomon Islands

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

7 July 1978 (from the UK)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, EITI (candidate country), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

highest court(s)

Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and ex officio members including the High Court chief justice and its puisne judges); High Court (consists of the chief justice and puisne judges, as prescribed by the National Parliament)

judge selection and term of office

Court of Appeal and High Court president, chief justices, and puisne judges appointed by the governor general upon recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, chaired by the chief justice and includes 5 members, mostly judicial officials and legal professionals; all judges serve until retirement at age 60

subordinate courts

Magistrates' Courts; Customary Land Appeal Court; local courts

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law

description

unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - OUR: 24.1%, independent 21.9%, SIDP 19.3%, SIUP 13.5%, KAD 4.5%, SIPRA 4.5%, PFP 3.2%, U4C 3.0%, DAP 1.6%, others 4.0%; seats by party - OUR Party 15, SIDP 8, SIUP 6, DAP 4, KAD 1, SIPRA 1, PFP 3, U4C 1, independents 11; composition - men 46, women 4, percentage women 8%

elections

last held on 17 April 2024 (next to be held in 2028)

lyrics/music

Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA

name

"God Save Our Solomon Islands"

note

note: adopted 1978

selected World Heritage Site locales

East Rennell

total World Heritage Sites

1 (natural)

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

national colors: blue, yellow, green, white

Democratic Alliance Party or DAP Kadere Party of Solomon Islands or KAD Ownership, Unity, and Responsibility Party (OUR Party) People First Party or PFP Solomon Islands Democratic Party or SIDP Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA Solomon Islands United Party or SIUP United for Change Party or U4C Coalition for Accountability Reform and Empowerment (CARE) is comprised of DAP, SIDP, and U4C

note

note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions

21 years of age; universal

oil palm fruit, coconuts, sweet potatoes, taro, yams, fruits, pulses, vegetables, cocoa beans, cassava (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$423.726 million (2022 est.)

note

note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$436.2 million (2022 est.)

Moody's rating

B3 (2015)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Current account balance 2021

-$78.192 million (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

-$218.534 million (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

-$178.197 million (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external 2022

$117.742 million (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

lower middle-income Pacific island economy; natural resource rich but environmentally fragile; key agrarian sector; growing Chinese economic relationship; infrastructure damage due to social unrest; metal mining operations

Currency

Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

8.173 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

8.213 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

8.03 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

8.156 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

8.376 (2023 est.)

Exports 2021

$413.657 million (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$411.359 million (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$546.025 million (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

wood, fish, palm oil, gold, coconut oil (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

China 51%, India 9%, Italy 8%, Australia 5%, Netherlands 4% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

26.3% (2022 est.)

government consumption

29.2% (2022 est.)

household consumption

61.7% (2022 est.)

imports of goods and services

-51.7% (2022 est.)

investment in fixed capital

24.4% (2022 est.)

investment in inventories

-1% (2022 est.) NA

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

33.8% (2022 est.)

industry

18.7% (2022 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

47.3% (2022 est.)

$1.631 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Imports 2021

$619.46 million (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$764.641 million (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$883.611 million (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, plastic products, fish, iron structures, construction vehicles (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

China 37%, Singapore 16%, Malaysia 12%, Australia 10%, NZ 4% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

4.7% (2022 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

-0.12% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

5.52% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

5.89% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

382,000 (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

note

note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Public debt 2022

15.39% of GDP (2022 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$1.921 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$1.967 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$2.025 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

2.56% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

2.4% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

2.95% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$2,700 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$2,700 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$2,700 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

3.35% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

5.18% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

5.18% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020

$660.996 million (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$694.515 million (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$661.604 million (2022 est.)

20.67% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

0.87% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

1.58% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

1.55% (2023 est.)

female

3.5% (2023 est.)

male

2.6% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

3% (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

322,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

322,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

89.565 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

37,000 kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

19.55 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

75.4%

electrification - total population

76% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

79%

biomass and waste

3.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

93.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

2.7% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

6.172 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

2,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

0.2 (2020 est.)

total

1,000 (2020 est.)

Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) does not broadcast television; multi-channel pay-TV is available; SIBC operates 2 national radio stations and 2 provincial stations; there are 2 local commercial radio stations; Radio Australia is available via satellite feed (since 2009) (2019)

.sb

percent of population

36% (2021 est.)

total

255,600 (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line is less than 1 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular telephone density 67 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

mobile services have continually expanded in the Solomon Islands; 3G services became available in 2010, leading to an increase in mobile broadband uptake; Solomon Islands currently host three ISPs; fixed broadband services are largely limited to government, corporations, and educational organizations in the Solomon Islands; telecommunication infrastructure in the Solomon Islands requires significant investment due to the geographical make-up of the islands; this presents a great challenge to rural connectivity in the country; although various international organizations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have taken a special interest in having communication services improved in both the Solomon Islands and the Pacific region in general, internet and broadband penetration remain low; the provision of broadband infrastructure, particularly to rural areas, is also hindered by land disputes; internet services have, improved with the build-out of the Coral Sea Cable System linking Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands, as also with a connecting cable to a landing station at Sydney; the Australian government provided most of the funding for the Coral Sea Cable System, with contributions and support from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea governments; the launch of the Kacific-1 satellite in late 2019 also improved broadband satellite capacity for the region, though for telcos in Solomon Islands satellite services are now largely used as backup for international traffic; in recent years, the country has stabilized both politically and economically and this, along with improvements to mobile infrastructure, has led to a rise in mobile services and the slow uptake of broadband services; while the first LTE services were launched in late 2017 in the capital Honiara, the main platform for mobile voice and data services remains 3G, while in outlying areas GSM is still an important technology for the provision of services (2022)

international

country code - 677; landing points for the CSCS and ICNS2 submarine cables providing connectivity from Solomon Islands, to PNG, Vanuatu and Australia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2021 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions

7,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

67 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

474,000 (2021 est.)

35 (2024)

H4

1 (2024)

by type

general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 16

total

25 (2023)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

3.84 million (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

427,806 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

6

number of registered air carriers

1 (2020)

key ports

Gizo Harbor, Honiara, Port Noro, Ringgi Cove, Tulaghi, Yandina

ports with oil terminals

1

small

2

total ports

6 (2024)

very small

4

note

note: includes 920 km of private plantation roads

paved

34 km

total

1,390 km

unpaved

1,356 km (2011)

from 2003 to 2017, at the request of the Solomon Islands Governor-General, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), consisting of police, military, and civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, assisted in reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order while reinforcing regional stability and security; from November 2021 to August 2024, an Australian-led Solomon Islands Assistance Force (SIAF) provided support to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in maintaining stability; the SIAF also included military and police personnel from New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea; following the conclusion of the SIAF mission, Australia continued to provide security assistance to the Solomon Islands; the Solomon Islands Government has also signed police and security agreements with China (2024)

no regular military forces; the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is responsible for internal and external security and reports to the Ministry of Police, National Security, and Correctional Services (2024)

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List — the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Solomon Islands remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year; for more details, go to:  https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/solomon-islands/

carbon dioxide emissions

0.17 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

0.43 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

7.83 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes

deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying, exhibiting the effects of climate change and rising sea levels

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

agricultural land

3.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 2.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.3% (2018 est.)

forest

78.9% (2018 est.)

other

17.2% (2018 est.)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

20.27% of GDP (2018 est.)

44.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

26% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

179,972 tons (2013 est.)