Solomon Islands

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 1,488 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est.)

Broadcast media

Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) does not broadcast television; multi-channel pay-TV is available; SIBC operates 2 national radio stations and 2 provincial stations; there are 2 local commercial radio stations; Radio Australia is available via satellite feed (since 2009) (2019)

Internet country code

.sb

Internet users

total: 78,686 | percent of population: 11.92% (July 2018 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: Internet penetration has reached 20%; 3G and 4G LTE mobile network expansions, investment in mobile services in the region; otherwise 3G and satellite services for communication and Internet access; increase in broadband subscriptions; the launch of the Kacific-1 satellite in 2019 and the Coral Sea Cable System have vastly improved the telecom sector (2020) | domestic: fixed-line is 1 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular telephone density is about 71 per 100 persons; domestic cable system to extend to key major islands (2019) | international: country code - 677; landing points for the CSCS and ICNS2 submarine cables providing connectivity from Solomon Islands, to PNG, Vanuatu and Australia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019) | note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide; overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 7,130 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1.06 (2019 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 480,124 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 71.38 (2019 est.)

Agriculture - products

cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, fruit; cattle, pigs; fish; timber

Budget

revenues: 532.5 million (2017 est.) | expenditures: 570.5 million (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-2.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Moody's rating: B3 (2015)

Current account balance

-$54 million (2017 est.) | -$49 million (2016 est.)

Debt - external

$757 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $643 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Ease of Doing Business Index scores

53.4 (2020)

Economic overview

The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of its livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. Prior to the arrival of The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic violence, the closure of key businesses, and an empty government treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI's efforts, which concluded in Jun 2017, to restore law and order and economic stability have led to modest growth as the economy rebuilds.

Exchange rates

Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar - | 8.06126 (2020 est.) | 8.10373 (2019 est.) | 8.01282 (2018 est.) | 7.9147 (2014 est.) | 7.3754 (2013 est.)

Exports

$468.6 million (2017 est.) | $419.9 million (2016 est.)

Exports - commodities

timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa, coconut oil

Exports - partners

China 64.5%, Italy 6.2%, Switzerland 4.6%, Philippines 4.4% (2017)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.298 billion (2017 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity) - real

$1.33 billion (2017 est.) | $1.285 billion (2016 est.) | $1.242 billion (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: NA | government consumption: NA | investment in fixed capital: NA | investment in inventories: NA | exports of goods and services: 25.8% (2011 est.) | imports of goods and services: -49.6% (2011 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 34.3% (2017 est.) | industry: 7.6% (2017 est.) | services: 58.1% (2017 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,200 (2017 est.) | $2,100 (2016 est.) | $2,100 (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

GDP real growth rate

3.5% (2017 est.) | 3.5% (2016 est.) | 2.5% (2015 est.)

Gross national saving

13.1% of GDP (2017 est.) | 15.2% of GDP (2016 est.) | 14.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA | highest 10%: NA

Imports

$462.1 million (2017 est.) | $419.3 million (2016 est.)

Imports - commodities

food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

China 21.9%, Australia 19.6%, Singapore 10.7%, Vietnam 7.5%, NZ 6.2%, Papua New Guinea 5%, South Korea 4.7% (2017)

Industrial production growth rate

3.6% (2017 est.)

Industries

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.5% (2017 est.) | 0.5% (2016 est.)

Labor force

202,500 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 75% | industry: 5% | services: 20% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

9.4% of GDP (2017 est.) | 7.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$0 (31 December 2017 est.) | $421 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

41% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

233,500 Mt (2017 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity - consumption

95.79 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

92% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

8% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

38,000 kW (2016 est.)

Electricity - production

103 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 66.7% (2018) | electrification - urban areas: 76.7% (2018) | electrification - rural areas: 63.5% (2018)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

1,600 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

1,577 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 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

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

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying; effects of climate change and rising sea levels

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

Irrigated land

0 sq km NA (2012)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 3.9% (2011 est.) | arable land: 0.7% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 2.9% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 0.3% (2011 est.) | forest: 78.9% (2011 est.) | other: 17.2% (2011 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 | 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, while 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 some 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 "nagho ni ara," which in one of the Guadalcanal languages roughly translates as "facing the eastern wind"

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; note - in late 2017, provincial leaders agreed to adopt a new federal constitution, with passage expected in 2018, but it has been postponed indefinitely | amendments: 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; amended several times, last in 2014

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

the US does not have an embassy in the Solomon Islands; the US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Janice MOSE | chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 | telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 | FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General David VUNAGI (since 8 July 2019) | head of government: Prime Minister Rick HOU (since 16 November 2017) | cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister | elections/appointments: 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 leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the National Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among members of the National Parliament | election results: Manasseh SOGAVARE (independent) defeated in no-confidence vote on 6 November 2017; Rick HOU elected prime minister on 15 November 2017

Flag description

divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green; blue represents the ocean, green the land, and yellow sunshine; the five stars stand for the five main island groups of the Solomon Islands

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 courts: Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and ex officio members including the High Court chief justice and its puisne judges); High Court (consists of the chief justice and puisne judges, as prescribed by the National Parliament) | judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court president, chief justices, and puisne judges appointed by the governor general upon 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 legal system of English common law and customary law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 19 November 2014 (next to be held 3 April 2019) | election results: percent of vote by party - UDP 10.7%, DAP 7.8%, PAP 4.4%, other 20.8%, independent 56.3%; seats by party - DAP 7, UDP 5, PAP 3, KPSI 1, SIPFP 1, SIPRA 1, independent 32; composition - men 49, women 1, percent of women 2%

National anthem

name: God Save Our Solomon Islands | lyrics/music: Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA | note: adopted 1978

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

National symbol(s)

national colors: blue, yellow, green, white

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Steve ABANA] Kadere Party of Solomon Islands or KPSI [Peter BOYERS] People's Alliance Party or PAP [Nathaniel WAENA] Solomon Islands People First Party or SIPFP [Dr. Jimmie RODGERS] Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Manasseh MAELANGA] United Democratic Party or UDP [Sir Thomas Ko CHAN] | note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Background

The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on this archipelago and the Guadalcanal Campaign (August 1942-February 1943) proved a turning point in the Pacific War, since after the operation the Japanese lost their strategic initiative and remained on the defensive until thier final defeat in 1945. Self-government for the Solomon Islands came in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, endemic crime, and a narrow economic base have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, then Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), which ended in June 2017, was generally effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (2019)

Age structure

0-14 years: 32.99% (male 116,397/female 109,604) | 15-24 years: 19.82% (male 69,914/female 65,874) | 25-54 years: 37.64% (male 131,201/female 126,681) | 55-64 years: 5.04% (male 17,844/female 16,704) | 65 years and over: 4.51% (male 14,461/female 16,417) (2020 est.) | population pyramid: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × Australia - Oceania :: Solomon Islands Print Image Description This is the population pyramid for Solomon Islands. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Birth rate

23.6 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

16.2% (2015)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

29.3% (2015)

Current Health Expenditure

4.7% (2017)

Death rate

3.8 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 77.6 | youth dependency ratio: 71.1 | elderly dependency ratio: 6.5 | potential support ratio: 15.3 (2020 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 95% of population | rural: 67.1% of population | total: 73.6% of population | unimproved: urban: 5% of population | rural: 32.9% of population | total: 26.4% of population (2017 est.)

Education expenditures

9.9% of GDP (2010)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Hospital bed density

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

total: 13.4 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 15.3 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 11.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.2 years | male: 73.5 years | female: 79 years (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high (2020) | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea | vectorborne diseases: malaria

Major urban areas - population

82,000 HONIARA (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality rate

104 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

total: 23.5 years | male: 23.2 years | female: 23.7 years (2020 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

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

Nationality

noun: Solomon Islander(s) | adjective: Solomon Islander

Net migration rate

-1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

22.5% (2016)

Physicians density

0.19 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Population

685,097 (July 2020 est.)

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

1.84% (2020 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

improved: urban: 95.6% of population | rural: 22% of population | total: 39.1% of population | unimproved: urban: 4.4% of population | rural: 78% of population | total: 60.9% of population (2017 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female | total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.97 children born/woman (2020 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 1.3% | male: 1% | female: 1.6% (2013)

Urbanization

urban population: 24.7% of total population (2020) | rate of urbanization: 3.91% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.) | total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030: PDF

Disputes - international

since 2003, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, consisting of police, military, and civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, has assisted in reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order while reinforcing regional stability and security

Trafficking in persons

current situation: the Solomon Islands is a source and destination country for local adults and children and Southeast Asian men and women subjected to forced labor and forced prostitution; women from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are recruited for legitimate work and upon arrival are forced into prostitution; men from Indonesia and Malaysia recruited to work in the Solomon Islands’ mining and logging industries may be subjected to forced labor; local children are forced into prostitution near foreign logging camps, on fishing vessels, at hotels, and entertainment venues; some local children are also sold by their parents for marriage to foreign workers or put up for "informal adoption" to pay off debts and then find themselves forced into domestic servitude or forced prostitution | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – the Solomon Islands does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2014, the Solomon Islands was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; the government gazetted implementing regulations for the 2012 immigration act prohibiting transnational trafficking, but the penalties are not sufficiently stringent because they allow the option of paying a fine; a new draft law to address these weaknesses awaits parliamentary review; no new trafficking investigations were conducted, even after labor inspections at logging and fishing companies, no existing cases led to prosecutions or convictions, and no funding was allocated for national anti-trafficking efforts; authorities did not identify or protect any victims and lack any procedures or shelters to do so; civil society and religious organizations provide most of the limited services available; a lack of understanding of the crime of trafficking remains a serious challenge (2015)

Airports

36 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 (2019) | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 35 (2013) | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013) | 914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2013) | under 914 m: 24 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

H4 (2016)

Heliports

3 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 23 | by type: general cargo 7, oil tanker 1, other 15 (2019)

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020) | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 427,806 (2018) | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 3.84 million mt-km (2018)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru Harbor, Tulaghi

Roadways

total: 1,390 km (2011) | paved: 34 km (2011) | unpaved: 1,356 km (2011) | note: includes 920 km of private plantation roads