Solomon Islands

Australia and Oceania Honiara

Population

738.8K

Area

28,896 km²

GDP

$1.76B

GDP Per Capita

$2,500

Pop. Density

26/km²

Quick Facts

Currency

$Solomon Islands dollar(SBD)

Calling Code

+677

Timezone

UTC+11:00

Languages

English

Driving Side

left

Demonym

Solomon Islander

Background

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 theater of WWII. 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.

Historical Trends

GDP (USD)

↑156.6% since 2006

$617M (2006)$2B (2024)

Population

↑66.6% since 2006

491,594 (2006)819,198 (2024)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Latest: 70.5 years

2006: 68.0 years2023: 70.5 years

Data source: World Bank Open Data

Geography17

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 159 00 E

Map references

Oceania

Area

total : 28,896 sq km
land: 27,986 sq km
water: 910 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

5,313 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate

tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Elevation

highest point: Mount Popomanaseu 2,335 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

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

Land use

agricultural land

3.9% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0.8% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 2.8% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.3% (2023 est.)

forest

89.9% (2023 est.)

other

6.2% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Population distribution

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

Natural hazards

tropical cyclones, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis

volcanism: Tinakula (851 m) has frequent eruption activity, and an eruption of Savo (485 m) could affect the capital Honiara on nearby Guadalcanal

Geography - note

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; 38,300 acres)

People & Society32

Population

total: 738,774 (2025 est.)
male: 377,067
female: 361,707

Nationality

noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

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

Religions

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.)

Age structure

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)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 55.1 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 46.7 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 8.4 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 12 (2025 est.)

Median age

total: 25.5 years (2025 est.)
male: 25 years
female: 25.4 years

Population growth rate

1.62% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

21.57 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

3.94 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

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

Urbanization

urban population: 26% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

82,000 HONIARA (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
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
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

22.6 years (2015 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

123 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 18.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 22.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.2 years (2024 est.)
male: 74.6 years
female: 80 years

Total fertility rate

2.72 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.33 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: rural: rural: 59.4% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 73.1% of population
unimproved: rural: rural: 40.6% of population (2022 est.)

Health expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 4.8% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 9.7% of national budget (2022 est.)

Physician density

0.24 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural: rural: 22.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 77.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 59.4% of population

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

22.5% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 36.8% (2025 est.)
male: 54.5% (2025 est.)
female: 18.8% (2025 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

64.5% (2019 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15: 5.6% (2015)
women married by age 18: 21.3% (2015)
men married by age 18: 4.4% (2015)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP): 8.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 25.2% national budget (2024 est.)

Government22

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Solomon Islands

local long form

none

local short form

Solomon Islands

former

British 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

Government type

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital

name: Honiara
geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E
time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the name derives from the local term nagho ni ara, meaning "place of the east wind" or "facing the trade winds"

Administrative divisions

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

Legal system

mixed system of English common law and customary law

Constitution

history: adopted 31 May 1978, effective 7 July 1978
amendment process: 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

International law organization participation

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

Citizenship

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

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General David Tiva KAPU (since 7 July 2024)
head of government: Prime Minister Jeremiah MANELE (since 2 May 2024)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
election/appointment process: 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 National Parliament usually elects the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch

legislature name

National Parliament

legislative structure

unicameral

number of seats

50 (all directly elected)

electoral system

plurality/majority

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

4 years

most recent election date

4/17/2024

parties elected and seats per party

Ownership Unity and Responsibility (OUR Party) (15); Solomon Islands Democratic Party (SIDP) (11); Solomon Islands United Party (UP) (6); Solomon Islands People First Party (SIPFP) (3); Independents (11); Other (4)

percentage of women in chamber

expected date of next election

April 2028

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and ex officio members including the High Court chief justice and puisne judges); High Court (consists of the chief justice and puisne judges)
judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court president, chief justices, and puisne judges appointed by the governor general on 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

Political parties

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Jane Mugafalu Kabui WAETARA (since 16 September 2022); note - also Permanent Representative to the UN
chancery: 685 Third Avenue, 11th Floor, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192
FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925
email address and website:
simun@solomons.com

Diplomatic representation from the US

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 Building
Commonwealth Avenue
Honiara, Solomon Islands
telephone: [677] 23426
FAX: [677] 27429
email address and website:
EmbassyHoniara@state.gov

https://pg.usembassy.gov/

International organization participation

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

Independence

7 July 1978 (from the UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Flag

description: divided diagonally by a yellow stripe from the lower-left corner; the upper triangle (left side) is blue with five five-pointed white stars in an "X" pattern; the lower triangle is green

meaning: blue stands for the ocean, green for the land, and yellow for sunshine; the five stars stand for the main island groups

National color(s)

blue, yellow, green, white

National anthem(s)

title: "God Save the King"
lyrics/music: unknown
history: in use since 1745

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 1 (natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales: East Rennell

Economy28

Economic overview

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

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $2.07 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $2.019 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $1.967 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2024: 2.5% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 2.7% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 2.4% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024: $2,500 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $2,500 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $2,500 (2022 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.761 billion (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 5.9% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 5.5% (2022 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021: -0.1% (2021 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 33.8% (2022 est.)
industry: 18.7% (2022 est.)
services: 47.3% (2022 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption

61.7% (2022 est.)

government consumption

29.2% (2022 est.)

investment in fixed capital

24.4% (2022 est.)

investment in inventories

-1% (2022 est.)

exports of goods and services

26.3% (2022 est.)

imports of goods and services

-51.7% (2022 est.)

Agricultural products

oil palm fruit, coconuts, sweet potatoes, yams, taro, fruits, pulses, vegetables, cocoa beans, cassava (2023)

Industries

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Industrial production growth rate

4.7% (2022 est.)

Labor force

435,600 (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2024: 1.5% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 1.5% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 1.5% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 3% (2024 est.)
male: 2.6% (2024 est.)
female: 3.4% (2024 est.)

Remittances

Remittances 2024: 5.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Remittances 2023: 5.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 5.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

Budget

revenues: $436.174 million (2022 est.)
expenditures: $482.24 million (2022 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2022: 15.4% of GDP (2022 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

20.7% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2024: -$66.231 million (2024 est.)
Current account balance 2023: -$178.197 million (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$218.534 million (2022 est.)

Exports

Exports 2024: $642.877 million (2024 est.)
Exports 2023: $546.025 million (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $411.359 million (2022 est.)

Exports - partners

China 56%, Australia 11%, Italy 10%, Spain 5%, Netherlands 4% (2023)

Exports - commodities

wood, fish, gold, precious metal ore, palm oil (2023)

Imports

Imports 2024: $857.128 million (2024 est.)
Imports 2023: $883.611 million (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $764.641 million (2022 est.)

Imports - partners

China 42%, Singapore 13%, Australia 13%, Taiwan 5%, Malaysia 5% (2023)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, plastic products, fish, broadcasting equipment, iron structures (2023)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $688.22 million (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $661.604 million (2022 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021: $694.515 million (2021 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2023: $184.191 million (2023 est.)

Exchange rates

Currency

Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

8.455 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

8.376 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

8.156 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

8.03 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

8.213 (2020 est.)

Energy5

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 76% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 79%
electrification - rural areas: 75.4%

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 37,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 91.031 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 19.969 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 90.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 5.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
hydroelectricity: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
biomass and waste: 3.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption: 2,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 5.655 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Communications6

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 7,000 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2022 est.) less than 1

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 485,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 62 (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

multi-channel pay-TV is available; Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) operates 2 national radio stations and 2 provincial stations; 2 local commercial radio stations; Radio Australia is available via satellite (2019)

Internet country code

.sb

Internet users

percent of population: 43% (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 1,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1

Transportation5

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports

36 (2025)

Heliports

2 (2025)

Merchant marine

total: 25 (2023)
by type: general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 16

Ports

total ports

6 (2024)

large

medium

small

very small

ports with oil terminals

key ports

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

Military & Security2

Military and security forces

Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services (MPNSCS): the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) (2025)

Military - note

in 2017, the Solomon Islands and Australia signed a security treaty allowing Australian police, defense, and associated civilian personnel to deploy rapidly to Solomon Islands should the need arise and where both countries consent; the treaty was activated for the first time in November 2021 following civil unrest in Honiara; Australia was the first country Solomon Islands called upon for support, and from November 2021, Australia deployed police and defense personnel to work alongside partners from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand to restore law and order in Honiara

in 2022, the Solomon Islands Government has also signed a police and security agreement with China (2025)

Transnational Issues2

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: 1,638 (2023 est.)

Trafficking in persons

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Solomon Islands does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but the government has devoted sufficient resources to a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute significant efforts to meet the minimum standards; therefore, Solomon Islands was granted a waiver per the Trafficking Victims Protection Act from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 and remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/solomon-islands/

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