Fiji (Republic of)

The main languages spoken in Fiji are:
English - an official language, used in government and business.
iTaukei (Fijian) - also official, the language of the indigenous iTaukei population (~57% of the population).
Fiji Hindi - the third official language, spoken by the Indo-Fijian community (~38% of the population), descendants of Indian laborers brought to the islands in the late 19th century.
English, iTaukei, and Fiji Hindi are all official languages of Fiji.

Geography

Location: Oceania, an archipelago of 322 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 18,272-18,274 sq km

Geography - note: approximately 70% of the population lives on the island of Viti Levu

People

Population: 900,869-951,611 (2024-2025 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.7%
15-64 years: 66.4%
65 years and over: 8.9% (2024 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population 67.3 years (World Bank, 2025)

Nationality:
noun/adjective: Fijian(s)

Ethnic groups: Indigenous iTaukei ~57%, Indo-Fijian ~38%, other (Rotuman, Pacific Islander, European) ~5%

Religions: Protestant 45% (Methodist 34.6%, others), Hindu 27.9%, other Christian 10.4%, Roman Catholic 9.1%, Muslim 6.3% (2007 est.)

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

Population distribution: roughly half the population lives in urban areas; urban population 58.7% of total (2023)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Fiji
conventional short form: Fiji
local long form: Matanitu ko Viti (Fijian)

Data code: FJ

Government type: parliamentary republic

National capital: Suva, on Viti Levu

Administrative divisions: 14 provinces and 1 dependency (Rotuma)

Executive branch:
head of government: Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka (leader of the People's Alliance Party)

Economy

Economy - overview: upper-middle-income, tourism-based Pacific island economy; tourism accounts for about 40% of GDP and supports roughly 150,000 jobs; susceptible to ocean-level rises; economy expanded strongly post-pandemic (20% in 2022, 8% in 2023) before moderating to steadier growth

GDP (purchasing power parity): $15.66 billion (2025 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (2025)

GDP - per capita: $16,870 PPP (2025 est.)

Inflation rate: 4.5%

Unemployment rate: 5.3% (World Bank, 2025)

Population below poverty line: 31% (2009)

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

Currency: Fijian dollar (FJD)