2019 Edition

CIA World Factbook 2019 Archive (Wayback Machine)

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Countries

267

Data Records

66,981

Fiji

2019 Edition · 293 data fields

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Introduction

Background

Fiji became independent in 1970 after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987 caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led coup in 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Reelected in May 2006, QARASE was ousted in a December 2006 military coup led by Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA, who initially appointed himself acting president but in January 2007 became interim prime minister. Following years of political turmoil, long-delayed legislative elections were held in September 2014 that were deemed "credible" by international observers and that resulted in BAINIMARAMA being reelected. He was reelected in November 2018 in elections deemed free and fair.

Geography

Area

Land: 18,274 sq km
Total: 18,274 sq km
Water: 0 sq km

Area Comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate

tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

1,129 km

Elevation

Highest Point: Tomanivi 1,324 m
Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Environment Current Issues

the widespread practice of waste incineration is a major contributor to air pollution in the country, as are vehicle emissions in urban areas; deforestation and soil erosion are significant problems; a contributory factor to erosion is clearing of land by bush burning, a widespread practie that threatens biodiversity

Environment International Agreements

Party To: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
Signed But Not Ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic Coordinates

18 00 S, 175 00 E

Geography Note

includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited

Irrigated Land

40 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

0 km

Land Use

Agricultural Land: 23.3% (2011 est.)
Agricultural Land Arable Land: 9% (2011 est.)
Agricultural Land Permanent Crops: 4.7% (2011 est.)
Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture: 9.6% (2011 est.)
Forest: 55.7% (2011 est.)
Other: 21% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map References

Oceania

Maritime Claims

Contiguous Zone: 24 nm
Continental Shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 nm
Territorial Sea: 12 nm

Natural Hazards

cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Natural Resources

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

Population Distribution

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

Terrain

mostly mountains of volcanic origin

People and Society

Age Structure

0 14 Years: 27.45% (male 129,962 /female 124,305)
15 24 Years: 15.91% (male 75,165 /female 72,219)
25 54 Years: 41.05% (male 194,743 /female 185,469)
55 64 Years: 8.79% (male 41,286 /female 40,167)
65 Years And Over: 6.8% (male 28,924 /female 34,036) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

18.2 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

3.5% (2016)

Death Rate

6.2 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

Elderly Dependency Ratio: 8.9 (2015 est.)
Potential Support Ratio: 11.2 (2015 est.)
Total Dependency Ratio: 52.8 (2015 est.)
Youth Dependency Ratio: 43.9 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved Rural: 91.2% of population
Improved Total: 95.7% of population
Improved Urban: 99.5% of population
Unimproved Rural: 8.8% of population
Unimproved Total: 4.3% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Urban: 0.5% of population

Education Expenditures

3.9% of GDP (2013)

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.)

HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate

0.1% (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS Deaths

<100 (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS

<1000 (2016 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

2.3 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant Mortality Rate

Female: 8.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Total: 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani

Life Expectancy at Birth

Female: 76 years
Male: 70.5 years
Total Population: 73.2 years (2018 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases

note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Major Urban Areas Population

178,000 SUVA (capital) (2018)

Maternal Mortality Rate

34 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median Age

Female: 29.4 years
Male: 29 years
Total: 29.2 years (2018 est.)

Nationality

Adjective: Fijian
Noun: Fijian(s)

Net Migration Rate

-6.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

30.2% (2016)

Physicians Density

0.84 physicians/1,000 population (2015)

Population

926,276 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.56% (2018 est.)

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.)

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved Rural: 88.4% of population (2015 est.)
Improved Total: 91.1% of population (2015 est.)
Improved Urban: 93.4% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Rural: 11.6% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Total: 8.9% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Urban: 6.6% of population (2015 est.)

Sex Ratio

0 14 Years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15 24 Years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25 54 Years: 1.05 male(s)/female
55 64 Years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 Years And Over: 0.85 male(s)/female
At Birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Total Population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

2.37 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

Female: 22.4% (2016 est.)
Male: 11.9%
Total: 15.4%

Urbanization

Rate Of Urbanization: 1.62% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Urban Population: 56.8% of total population (2019)

Government

Administrative Divisions

14 provinces and 1 dependency*; Ba, Bua, Cakaudrove, Kadavu, Lau, Lomaiviti, Macuata, Nadroga and Navosa, Naitasiri, Namosi, Ra, Rewa, Rotuma*, Serua, Tailevu

Capital

Daylight Saving Time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in November; ends second Sunday in January
Geographic Coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E
Name: Suva (on Viti Levu)
Time Difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

Citizenship By Birth: no
Citizenship By Descent Only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Fiji
Dual Citizenship Recognized: yes
Residency Requirement For Naturalization: at least 5 years residency out of the 10 years preceding application

Constitution

several previous; latest signed into law 6 September 2013

Country Name

Conventional Long Form: Republic of Fiji
Conventional Short Form: Fiji
Etymology: the Fijians called their home Viti, but the neighboring Tongans called it Fisi, and in the Anglicized spelling of the Tongan pronunciation - promulgated by explorer Captain James COOK - the designation became Fiji
Local Long Form: Republic of Fiji/Matanitu ko Viti
Local Short Form: Fiji/Viti

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

Chief Of Mission: Ambassador Joseph James CELLA (since 23 December 2019); note - also accredited to Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu
Embassy: 158 Princes Rd, Tamavua
Fax: [679] 330-8685
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 218, Suva
Telephone: [679] 331-4466

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

Chancery: 2000 M Street NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20036
Chief Of Mission: Ambassador Solo MARA (since 28 January 2016)
Fax: [1] (202) 466-8325
Telephone: [1] (202) 466-8320

Executive Branch

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament
Chief Of State: President Jioji Konousi KONROTE (since 12 November 2015)
Election Results: Jioji Konousi KONROTE reelected president (unopposed)
Elections Appointments: president elected by Parliament for a 3-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 31 August 2018 (next to be held in 2021); prime minister endorsed by the president
Head Of Government: Prime Minister Voreqe "Frank" BAINIMARAMA (since 22 September 2014)

Flag Description

light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the blue symbolizes the Pacific Ocean and the Union Jack reflects the links with Great Britain; the shield - taken from Fiji's coat of arms - depicts a yellow lion, holding a coconut pod between its paws, above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George; the four quarters depict stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, a banana bunch, and a white dove of peace

Government Type

parliamentary republic

Independence

10 October 1970 (from the UK)

International Law Organization Participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International Organization Participation

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca (suspended), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial Branch

Highest Courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, all justices of the Court of Appeal, and judges appointed specifically as Supreme Court judges); Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, all puisne judges of the High Court, and judges specifically appointed to the Court of Appeal); High Court (chaired by the chief justice and includes a minimum of 10 puisne judges; High Court organized into civil, criminal, family, employment, and tax divisions)
Judge Selection And Term Of Office: chief justice appointed by the president of Fiji on the advice of the prime minister following consultation with the parliamentary leader of the opposition; judges of the Supreme Court, the president of the Court of Appeal, the justices of the Court of Appeal, and puisne judges of the High Court appointed by the president of Fiji upon the nomination of the Judicial Service Commission after consulting with the cabinet minister and the committee of the House of Representatives responsible for the administration of justice; the chief justice, Supreme Court judges and justices of Appeal generally required to retire at age 70, but this requirement may be waived for one or more sessions of the court; puisne judges appointed for not less than 4 years nor more than 7 years, with mandatory retirement at age 65
Subordinate Courts: Magistrates' Court (organized into civil, criminal, juvenile, and small claims divisions)

Legal System

common law system based on the English model

Legislative Branch

Description: unicameral Parliament (51 seats; members directly elected in a nationwide, multi-seat constituency by open-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Election Results: percent of vote by party - FijiFirst 50%, SODELPA 39.6%, NFP 7.4%; seats by party - FijiFirst 27, SODELPA 21, NFP 3; composition - men 41, women 10, percent of women 19.6%
Elections: last held on 14 November 2018 (next to be held in 2022)

National Anthem

Lyrics Music: Michael Francis Alexander PRESCOTT/C. Austin MILES (adapted by Michael Francis Alexander PRESCOTT)
Name: God Bless Fiji

National Holiday

Fiji (Independence) Day, 10 October (1970)

National Symbol S

Fijian canoe; national color: light blue

Political Parties And Leaders

FijiFirst [Veroqe "Frank" BAINIMARAMA] Fiji Labor Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY] Fiji United Freedon Party or FUFP [Jagath KARUNARATNE] National Federation Party or NFP [Biman PRASAD] (primarily Indian) Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Lynda TABUYA] Social Democratic Liberal Party or SODELPA Unity Fiji [Adi QORO]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Economy

Agriculture Products

sugarcane, copra, ginger, tropical fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, chicken, fish

Budget

Expenditures: 1.648 billion (2017 est.)
Revenues: 1.454 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

-4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

31 December 2009: 3%
31 December 2010: 1.75%

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

31 December 2016: 5.85%
31 December 2017: 5.74%

Current Account Balance

2016: -$131 million
2017: -$277 million

Debt External

31 December 2016: $696.4 million
31 December 2017: $1.022 billion

Economy Overview

Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most developed and connected of the Pacific island economies. Earnings from the tourism industry, with an estimated 842,884 tourists visiting in 2017, and remittances from Fijian’s working abroad are the country’s largest foreign exchange earners.Bottled water exports to the US is Fiji’s largest domestic export. Fiji's sugar sector remains a significant industry and a major export, but crops and one of the sugar mills suffered damage during Cyclone Winston in 2016. Fiji’s trade imbalance continues to widen with increased imports and sluggish performance of domestic exports.The return to parliamentary democracy and successful elections in September 2014 improved investor confidence, but increasing bureaucratic regulation, new taxes, and lack of consultation with relevant stakeholders brought four consecutive years of decline for Fiji on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index. Private sector investment in 2017 approached 20% of GDP, compared to 13% in 2013.

Exchange Rates

2013: 1.8874
2014: 2.0976
2015: 2.0947
2016: 2.0947
2017: 2.075
Currency: Fijian dollars (FJD) per US dollar -

Exports

2016: $709 million
2017: $908.2 million

Exports Commodities

fuel, including oil, fish, beverages, gems, sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil, mineral water

Exports Partners

US 20.8%, Australia 14.9%, NZ 7.7%, Tonga 5%, Vanuatu 4.6%, China 4.5%, Spain 4.3%, UK 4.3%, Kiribati 4.1% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

GDP Composition By End Use

Exports Of Goods And Services: 29% (2017 est.)
Government Consumption: 24.4% (2017 est.)
Household Consumption: 81.3% (2017 est.)
Imports Of Goods And Services: -51.6% (2017 est.)
Investment In Fixed Capital: 16.9% (2017 est.)
Investment In Inventories: 0% (2017 est.)

GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin

Agriculture: 13.5% (2017 est.)
Industry: 17.4% (2017 est.)
Services: 69.1% (2017 est.)

GDP Official Exchange Rate

$4.891 billion (2017 est.)

GDP Per Capita Ppp

2015: $9,600
2016: $9,600
2017: $9,800

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

2015: $8.321 billion
2016: $8.376 billion
2017: $8.629 billion

GDP Real Growth Rate

2015: 3.8%
2016: 0.7%
2017: 3%

Gross National Saving

2015: 16.1% of GDP
2016: 13.4% of GDP
2017: 12.7% of GDP

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

Highest 10: 34.9% (2009 est.)
Lowest 10: 2.6%

Imports

2016: $1.761 billion
2017: $1.911 billion

Imports Commodities

manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food and beverages, chemicals, tobacco

Imports Partners

Australia 19.2%, NZ 17.2%, Singapore 17%, China 13.8% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

2.8% (2017 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

2016: 3.9%
2017: 3.4%

Labor Force

353,100 (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

Agriculture: 44.2%
Industry: 14.3%
Services: 41.6% (2011)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

31 December 2010: $418.8 million
31 December 2011: $392.2 million
31 December 2012: $452.5 million

Population Below Poverty Line

31% (2009 est.)

Public Debt

2016: 47.5% of GDP
2017: 48.9% of GDP

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

31 December 2016: $908.6 million
31 December 2017: $1.116 billion

Stock Of Broad Money

31 December 2016: $1.994 billion
31 December 2017: $2.272 billion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

31 December 2016: $115.1 million
31 December 2017: $117.1 million

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment at Home

31 December 2016: $4.022 billion
31 December 2017: $4.342 billion

Stock Of Domestic Credit

31 December 2016: $3.295 billion
31 December 2017: $3.607 billion

Stock Of Narrow Money

31 December 2016: $1.994 billion
31 December 2017: $2.272 billion

Taxes And Other Revenues

29.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2016: 5.5%
2017: 4.5%

Energy

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
Total: 12,135

Broadcast Media

Fiji TV, a publicly traded company, operates a free-to-air channel; Digicel Fiji operates the Sky Fiji and Sky Pacific multi-channel pay-TV services; state-owned commercial company, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, Ltd, operates 6 radio stations - 2 public broadcasters and 4 commercial broadcasters with multiple repeaters; 5 radio stations with repeaters operated by Communications Fiji, Ltd; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available

Internet Country Code

.fj

Internet Users

Percent Of Population: 46.5% (July 2016 est.)
Total: 425,680

Telephone System

Domestic: telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabited islands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephone exchanges and direct dialing; fixed-line 8 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 112 per 100 persons (2018)
General Assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center; subject to occasional devastating cyclones; Fiji is a leader in the Pacific region in terms of development of its ICT (Information & Communications Technology) sector and investment in telecoms infrastructure; initial progress towards 5G readiness (2018)
International: country code - 679; landing points for the ICN1, SCCN, Southern Cross NEXT, Tonga Cable and Tui-Samoa submarine cable links to US, NZ, Australia and Pacific islands of Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Fallis & Futuna, and American Samoa; satellite earth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

Telephones Fixed Lines

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants: 8 (2017 est.)
Total Subscriptions: 75,952

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants: 112 (2017 est.)
Total Subscriptions: 1,033,915

Transportation

Airports

28 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M: 1 (2017)
914 To 1 523 M: 2 (2017)
Over 3 047 M: 1 (2017)
Total: 4 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

914 To 1 523 M: 5 (2013)
Total: 24 (2013)
Under 914 M: 19 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

DQ (2016)

Merchant Marine

By Type: general cargo 21, oil tanker 1, other 38 (2018)
Total: 60

National Air Transport System

Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers: 83,686,504 mt-km (2015)
Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers: 1,336,976 (2015)
Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers: 12 (2015)
Number Of Registered Air Carriers: 2 (2015)

Ports And Terminals

Lautoka, Levuka, Suva

Railways

Narrow Gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge (2008)
Total: 597 km (2008)

Roadways

Paved: 1,686 km (2011)
Total: 3,440 km (2011)
Unpaved: 1,754 km (2011)

Waterways

203 km (122 km are navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges) (2012)

Military and Security

Military And Security Forces

Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Force Command, Maritime Command (2019)

Military Expenditures

2014: 1.03% of GDP
2015: 1.07% of GDP
2016: 0.98% of GDP
2017: 0.92% of GDP
2018: 0.92% of GDP

Military Service Age And Obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; mandatory retirement at age 55 (2013)

Transnational Issues

Disputes International

maritime boundary dispute with Tonga