Country Summary: Fiji (Republic of Fiji)
Country Name: Fiji (Republic of Fiji)
Capital: Suva (on Viti Levu)
Government Type: parliamentary republic
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. Dutch explorer Abel TASMAN was the first European to spot Fiji in 1643, followed by British explorer James COOK in 1774. Captain William BLIGH plotted the islands in 1789. In the 1800s, merchants, traders, and whalers frequented the islands and the first missionaries arrived in 1835. Rival kings and chiefs competed for power, at times aided by Europeans and their weapons, and in 1865, Seru Epenisa CAKOBAU united many groups into the Confederacy of Independent Kingdoms of Viti. The arrangement proved weak 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 in place to allocate parliamentary seats by ethnic groups. Long-serving Prime Minister Kamisese MARA largely balanced these ethnic divisions, but concerns about growing Indo-Fijian political influence led to 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 Commodore 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 following elections in December 2022 and former opposition leader Sitiveni Ligamamada RABUKA won the office by one vote and leads a coalition with a slim, three-seat parliamentary margin.
With relatively well-developed infrastructure, Fiji has become a hub for the Pacific, hosting the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the main campus of the University of the South Pacific. In addition, Fiji is a center for Pacific tourism, and Nadi International Airport is by far the busiest airport in a Pacific island country.
Continent: Oceania
Population: 947,760 (2023 est.)
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.)
Economic 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
Currency: Fijian Dollar (FJD)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $1.557 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $11.518 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Real GDP Growth Rate: 20.02% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per Capita: $12,400 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Exports:
$2.376 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 158
Export Commodities: water, fuel wood, gold, sugar, refined petroleum, fish (2021)
Export Partners: United States 34%, Australia 14%, China 7%, New Zealand 7%, Tonga 4% (2021)
Imports:
$3.434 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 158
Import Commodities: refined petroleum, aircraft, cars, dentistry devices, broadcasting equipment (2021)
Import Partners: New Zealand 18%, China 16%, Singapore 14%, Australia 13%, United States 9% (2021)
Natural Resources: timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower
Agricultural Products: sugar cane, cassava, taro, poultry, vegetables, coconuts, eggs, milk, ginger, sweet potatoes
Industries: tourism, sugar processing, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber
Industrial Production Growth Rate:
5.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Comparison Ranking: 52
Labor Force: 382,000 (2022 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 4.56% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Natural Hazards: cyclonic storms can occur from November to January
Geography:
Total: 18,274 sq km
Land: 18,274 sq km
Water: 0 sq km
(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)
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