Solomon Islands

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

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

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.)

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.)

Agricultural products

oil palm fruit, coconuts, sweet potatoes, yams, taro, fruits, pulses, vegetables, cocoa beans, cassava (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Budget

revenues: $436.174 million (2022 est.) expenditures: $482.24 million (2022 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Current account balance

-$66.231 million (2024 est.) -$178.197 million (2023 est.) -$218.534 million (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external

$184.191 million (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

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

Exchange rates

Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar - 8.455 (2024 est.) 8.376 (2023 est.) 8.156 (2022 est.) 8.03 (2021 est.) 8.213 (2020 est.)

Exports

$642.877 million (2024 est.) $546.025 million (2023 est.) $411.359 million (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports - commodities

wood, fish, gold, precious metal ore, palm oil (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

China 56%, Australia 11%, Italy 10%, Spain 5%, Netherlands 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.761 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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.) note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 33.8% (2022 est.) industry: 18.7% (2022 est.) services: 47.3% (2022 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Imports

$857.128 million (2024 est.) $883.611 million (2023 est.) $764.641 million (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, plastic products, fish, broadcasting equipment, iron structures (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

China 42%, Singapore 13%, Australia 13%, Taiwan 5%, Malaysia 5% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industrial production growth rate

4.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Industries

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.9% (2023 est.) 5.5% (2022 est.) -0.1% (2021 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Labor force

435,600 (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Public debt

15.4% of GDP (2022 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.07 billion (2024 est.) $2.019 billion (2023 est.) $1.967 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP growth rate

2.5% (2024 est.) 2.7% (2023 est.) 2.4% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per capita

$2,500 (2024 est.) $2,500 (2023 est.) $2,500 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Remittances

5.4% of GDP (2024 est.) 5.1% of GDP (2023 est.) 5.2% of GDP (2022 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$688.22 million (2023 est.) $661.604 million (2022 est.) $694.515 million (2021 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Taxes and other revenues

20.7% (of GDP) (2022 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Unemployment rate

1.5% (2024 est.) 1.5% (2023 est.) 1.5% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 3% (2024 est.) male: 2.6% (2024 est.) female: 3.4% (2024 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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 access

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

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.)

Energy consumption per capita

5.655 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Petroleum

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

Carbon dioxide emissions

318,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 318,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Climate

tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes

Environmental issues

deforestation; soil erosion; damage to coral reefs

International environmental agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

Land use

agricultural land: 3.9% (2023 est.) arable land: 0.8% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 2.8% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0.3% (2023 est.) forest: 89.9% (2023 est.) other: 6.2% (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

8.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

44.7 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Urbanization

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

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 180,000 tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 6.1% (2022 est.)

Area

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

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes

Coastline

5,313 km

Elevation

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

Geographic coordinates

8 00 S, 159 00 E

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)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 3.9% (2023 est.) arable land: 0.8% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 2.8% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0.3% (2023 est.) forest: 89.9% (2023 est.) other: 6.2% (2023 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm note: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

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

Natural resources

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

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

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Administrative divisions

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

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"

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

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

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

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/

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

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

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Independence

7 July 1978 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

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

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

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

Legal system

mixed system of English common law and customary law

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: 6% expected date of next election: April 2028

National anthem(s)

title: "God Save Our Solomon Islands" lyrics/music: Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA history: adopted 1978 title: "God Save the King" lyrics/music: unknown history: in use since 1745

National color(s)

blue, yellow, green, white

National heritage

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

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) note: the Solomon Islands political party system is characterized by fluid coalitions

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

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.

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)

Military and security forces

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

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)

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.)

Birth rate

21.57 births/1,000 population (2025 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)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

64.5% (2019 est.)

Death rate

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

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.)

Drinking water source

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

Education expenditure

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

Ethnic groups

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

Gross reproduction rate

1.33 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure

4.8% of GDP (2021) 9.7% of national budget (2022 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

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

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

Major urban areas - population

82,000 HONIARA (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality ratio

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

Median age

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

Mother's mean age at first birth

22.6 years (2015 est.) note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

Nationality

noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander

Net migration rate

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

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

22.5% (2016)

Physician density

0.24 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

Population

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

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

Population growth rate

1.62% (2025 est.)

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.)

Sanitation facility access

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

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.)

Tobacco use

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

Total fertility rate

2.72 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

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

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/

Airports

36 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

H4

Heliports

2 (2025)

Merchant marine

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

Ports

total ports: 6 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 2 very small: 4 ports with oil terminals: 1 key ports: Gizo Harbor, Honiara, Port Noro, Ringgi Cove, Tulaghi, Yandina