The growth in population of Fiji is steady but unremarkable. Based on current figures, it may be that numbers finally breach the 900,000 mark by 2017.
The growth in population of Fiji is steady but unremarkable. Based on current figures, it may be that numbers finally breach the 900,000 mark by 2017.
| Fiji Population (as of 5/26/2023) | 935,741 |
| Next UN Estimate (July 1, 2023) | 936,375 |
| Births per Day | 48 |
| Deaths per Day | 21 |
| Migrations per Day | -9 |
| Net Change per Day | 18 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 2,628 |
Net increase of 1 person every 80 minutes
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 30 minutes | |
| One death every 68.57 minutes | |
| One emigrant every 160 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 80 minutes |
The last census in 2007 found Fiji had a population of 837,200. Fiji has a population density of 46 people per square kilometer (120/square mile), which ranks 148th in the world. Fiji is comprised of 332 islands, of which 110 are inhabited, as well as 500 islets. Most of the islands were formed by volcanic activity going back about 150 million years. The farthest island is Onu-i-Lau, while the main islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu account for 87% of the total population. More than 75% of Fijians live on the coasts of Viti Levu. The terrain makes the interior parts of the island sparsely populated.
Fiji's capital and largest city, Suva, is found on Viti Levu. Suva has a city population of 87,000, although the population is about 175,000 when including the suburbs. Suva and its bordering cities -- Lami, Nausori, and Nasinu -- have a combined population of 330,000, or one out of every three Fijians.
29.9
Total
29.7
Male
30.1
Female
There are people over age 18 in Fiji.
The nation of Fiji is comprised of over 300 islands, although only 110 of those are actually inhabited. Even without those uninhabited territories taken into account, this is a very sparsely populated nation. Fiji is located in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,300 miles northeast of New Zealand's North Island.
Fiji has been inhabited since the 2nd millennium BC, first by the Austronesians and then the Melanesians. Europeans first came to the area in the 1600's, and the British established the Colony of Fiji in 1874. The country gained independence in 1970.
Fiji's population is comprised mostly of native Fijians, or Melanesians, at 54%. Many native Fijians have Polynesian ancestry as well. Indo-Fijians account for 38% of the population, and they are descended from Indian laborers who were brought to the region by the British in the 1800s. Migration has reduced the percentage of Indo-Fijians dramatically over the last 20 years. Relationships between Indo-Fijians and ethnic Fijians are strained.
About 1% of Fiji's population are Rotuman, who are natives of Rotuma Island.
33% of the population of Fiji were aged between 0 and 14 - a figure that is some way in excess of the worldwide average. In addition, 63% were between the ages of 15 and 64 while just 4% of the country were aged 65 and over – considerably below the average percentages for all countries in the world.
As far as life expectancy is concerned, it is relatively low at 67.94 years for the total population. This is split between males at 65.54 years and females at 70.45 years.
Estimates from the World Factbook are patchy and the population growth rate of 1.4% that is widely reported actually dates back to 2006.
Natural growth figures are even older - originating from 2000 but they are still worth recording here. At that time, it was claimed that there were 23.48 births per 1,000 of the Fiji population alongside 5.78 deaths per 1000. There was also a net loss due to migration out of the country of 3.6 people per 1000.