Communications
Broadband - fixed subscriptions [time series]
total: 1,000 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.2 (2020 est.)
Broadcast media [time series]
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 [time series]
.sb
Internet users [time series]
total: 255,600 (2021 est.) percent of population: 36% (2021 est.)
Telecommunication systems [time series]
general assessment: mobile services have continually expanded in the Solomon Islands; 3G services became available in 2010, leading to an increase in mobile broadband uptake; Solomon Islands currently host three ISPs; fixed broadband services are largely limited to government, corporations, and educational organizations in the Solomon Islands; telecommunication infrastructure in the Solomon Islands requires significant investment due to the geographical make-up of the islands; this presents a great challenge to rural connectivity in the country; although various international organizations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have taken a special interest in having communication services improved in both the Solomon Islands and the Pacific region in general, internet and broadband penetration remain low; the provision of broadband infrastructure, particularly to rural areas, is also hindered by land disputes; internet services have, improved with the build-out of the Coral Sea Cable System linking Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands, as also with a connecting cable to a landing station at Sydney; the Australian government provided most of the funding for the Coral Sea Cable System, with contributions and support from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea governments; the launch of the Kacific-1 satellite in late 2019 also improved broadband satellite capacity for the region, though for telcos in Solomon Islands satellite services are now largely used as backup for international traffic; in recent years, the country has stabilized both politically and economically and this, along with improvements to mobile infrastructure, has led to a rise in mobile services and the slow uptake of broadband services; while the first LTE services were launched in late 2017 in the capital Honiara, the main platform for mobile voice and data services remains 3G, while in outlying areas GSM is still an important technology for the provision of services (2022) domestic: fixed-line is less than 1 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular telephone density 67 per 100 persons (2021) 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)
Telephones - fixed lines [time series]
total subscriptions: 7,000 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
total subscriptions: 470,000 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 67 (2021 est.)
Economy
Agricultural products [time series]
oil palm fruit, sweet potatoes, coconuts, taro, yams, fruit, pulses, vegetables, cocoa, cassava
Budget [time series]
revenues: $514 million (2019 est.) expenditures: $537 million (2019 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]
-2.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Credit ratings [time series]
Moody's rating: B3 (2015) note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Current account balance [time series]
-$78.192 million (2021 est.) -$25.06 million (2020 est.) -$153.998 million (2019 est.)
Debt - external [time series]
$757 million (31 December 2017 est.) $643 million (31 December 2016 est.)
Economic overview [time series]
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 [time series]
Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar - 8.03 (2021 est.) 8.213 (2020 est.) 8.173 (2019 est.) 7.953 (2018 est.) 7.887 (2017 est.)
Exports [time series]
$413.657 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $428.834 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $591.293 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Exports - commodities [time series]
lumber, tuna, palm oil, coconut oil, gold (2021)
Exports - partners [time series]
China 59%, Italy 9%, India 6%, Netherlands 4%, Australia 3% (2021)
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$1.298 billion (2017 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use [time series]
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 [time series]
agriculture: 34.3% (2017 est.) industry: 7.6% (2017 est.) services: 58.1% (2017 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income [time series]
37.1 (2013 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports [time series]
$619.46 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $556.26 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $752.909 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Imports - commodities [time series]
refined petroleum, scrap iron, fish, iron structures, poultry meats, rice (2021)
Imports - partners [time series]
China 36%, Singapore 13%, Australia 12%, Malaysia 10%, New Zealand 6% (2021)
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
-3.84% (2020 est.)
Industries [time series]
fish (tuna), mining, timber
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
-0.12% (2021 est.) 2.96% (2020 est.) 1.63% (2019 est.)
Labor force [time series]
366,000 (2021 est.)
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 75% industry: 5% services: 20% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line [time series]
12.7% (2012 est.)
Public debt [time series]
11.46% of GDP (2020 est.) 7.74% of GDP (2019 est.) 7.69% of GDP (2018 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) [time series]
$1.703 billion (2021 est.) $1.707 billion (2020 est.) $1.766 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real GDP growth rate [time series]
-0.2% (2021 est.) -3.38% (2020 est.) 1.75% (2019 est.)
Real GDP per capita [time series]
$2,400 (2021 est.) $2,500 (2020 est.) $2,600 (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]
$694.515 million (31 December 2021 est.) $660.996 million (31 December 2020 est.) $571.632 million (31 December 2019 est.)
Taxes and other revenues [time series]
21.05% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
Unemployment rate [time series]
1.03% (2021 est.) 0.92% (2020 est.) 0.75% (2019 est.) NA
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) [time series]
total: 1.9% (2021 est.) male: 1.6% female: 2.3%
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions [time series]
333,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 333,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.) consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.) exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.) imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.) proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Electricity [time series]
installed generating capacity: 40,000 kW (2020 est.) consumption: 93.527 million kWh (2019 est.) exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.) imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 14 million kWh (2019 est.)
Electricity access [time series]
electrification - total population: 76.3% (2021) electrification - urban areas: 79.2% (2021) electrification - rural areas: 75.3% (2021)
Electricity generation sources [time series]
fossil fuels: 94.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) solar: 2.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) biomass and waste: 2.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Energy consumption per capita [time series]
6.955 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Natural gas [time series]
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Petroleum [time series]
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 2,200 bbl/day (2019 est.) crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]
1,577 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Environment
Air pollutants [time series]
particulate matter emissions: 7.83 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 0.17 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 0.43 megatons (2020 est.)
Climate [time series]
tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes
Environment - current issues [time series]
deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying, exhibiting the effects of climate change and rising sea levels
International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]
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 [time series]
agricultural land: 3.9% (2018 est.) arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0.3% (2018 est.) forest: 78.9% (2018 est.) other: 17.2% (2018 est.)
Revenue from coal [time series]
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Revenue from forest resources [time series]
20.27% of GDP (2018 est.)
Total renewable water resources [time series]
44.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 26% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling [time series]
municipal solid waste generated annually: 179,972 tons (2013 est.)
Geography
total: 28,896 sq km land: 27,986 sq km water: 910 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
slightly smaller than Maryland
Climate [time series]
tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes
Coastline [time series]
5,313 km
Elevation [time series]
highest point: Mount Popomanaseu 2,335 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Geographic coordinates [time series]
8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note [time series]
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)
Irrigated land [time series]
0 sq km (2022)
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 0 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 3.9% (2018 est.) arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0.3% (2018 est.) forest: 78.9% (2018 est.) other: 17.2% (2018 est.)
Location [time series]
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Map references [time series]
Oceania
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Natural hazards [time series]
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 [time series]
fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Population distribution [time series]
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 [time series]
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
9 provinces and 1 city*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira and Ulawa, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western
Capital [time series]
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 [time series]
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 [time series]
history: adopted 31 May 1978, effective 7 July 1978; note - in late 2017, provincial leaders agreed to adopt a new federal constitution; progress has been stalled, but as of February 2023, the draft constitution was with the Constitutional Review Unit in the prime minister's office 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 2018
Country name [time series]
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 [time series]
embassy: 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 [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Jane Mugafalu Kabui WAETARA (since 16 September 2022) 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 [time series]
chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General David VUNAGI (since 8 July 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE (since 24 April 2019) 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 elected prime minister on 24 April 2019
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
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 [time series]
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independence [time series]
7 July 1978 (from the UK)
International law organization participation [time series]
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation [time series]
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 [time series]
highest court(s): 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 [time series]
mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
Legislative branch [time series]
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 3 April 2019 (next originally scheduled for April 2023, but delayed until 2024) election results: percent of vote by party - UDP 10.7%, DAP 7.8%, PAP 4.4%, independent 56.3%, other 20.8%; seats by party - DAP 7, UDP 5, PAP 3, KPSI 1, SIPFP 1, SIPRA 1, independent 32; composition - men 46, women 4, percent of women 8%
National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]
name: "God Save Our Solomon Islands" lyrics/music: Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA note: adopted 1978
National heritage [time series]
total World Heritage Sites: 1 (natural) selected World Heritage Site locales: East Rennell
National holiday [time series]
Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
National symbol(s) [time series]
national colors: blue, yellow, green, white
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Steve ABANA] Kadere Party of Solomon Islands or KPSI [Peter BOYERS] People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Nathaniel WAENA] Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Manasseh MAELANGA] Solomon Islands People First Party or SIPFP [Dr. Jimmie RODGERS] United Democratic Party or UDP [Sir Thomas Ko CHAN] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
Suffrage [time series]
21 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background [time series]
Settlers from Papua arrived on Solomon Islands around 30,000 years ago. About 6,000 years ago, Austronesian settlers came to Solomon 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, Spanish explorer Alvaro de MENDANA became the first European to spot the islands. After a failed Spanish attempt at creating a permanent European settlement on the islands in the late 1500s, Solomon Islands remained free of European contact until 1767 when British explorer Philip CARTERET sailed by the islands. The islands were regularly visited by European explorers and American and British whaling ships into the 1800s, followed by missionaries in the 1850s. 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 Solomon Islands to the UK in exchange for the UK relinquishing all claims in Samoa. The UK tried to encourage plantation farming, but few Europeans were willing to go to Solomon Islands and the UK left most services - such as education and medical services - to missionaries. In 1942, Japan invaded Solomon Islands and significant battles against Allied forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign proved a turning point in the Pacific war. World War II destroyed large parts of Solomon Islands and a nationalism movement emerged near the end of the war. By 1960, the British relented to allow for 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 ethnic 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 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 SOGAVARE s ouster. In 2003, Solomon Islands requested international assistance to reestablish law and order. The Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, which ended in 2017, was generally effective in improving the security situation. In 2006, riots broke out in Honiara and the city s Chinatown burned over allegations that the prime minister took money from China. SOGAVARE was reelected prime minister for a fourth time following elections in 2019 and that same year announced Solomon Islands would switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. In late November 2021, protestors, mostly from the island of Malaita, calling for SOGAVARE s removal and more development in Malaita, sparked rioting in Honiara.
Military and Security
Military - note [time series]
Australia and New Zealand provide material and training assistance to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (2023)
Military and security forces [time series]
no regular military forces; the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force is responsible for internal and external security and reports to the Ministry of Police, National Security, and Correctional Services (2023)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions [time series]
China and Australia have provided equipment to the Solomons Islands Police Force; the maritime branch operates patrol boats provided by Australia (2023)
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 31.06% (male 114,104/female 107,900) 15-64 years: 63.82% (male 233,501/female 222,640) 65 years and over: 5.12% (2023 est.) (male 17,238/female 19,383)
Alcohol consumption per capita [time series]
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 [time series]
22.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]
16.2% (2015)
Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]
29.3% (2015)
Current health expenditure [time series]
4.4% of GDP (2020)
Currently married women (ages 15-49) [time series]
64.1% (2023 est.)
Death rate [time series]
4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Dependency ratios [time series]
total dependency ratio: 74.8 youth dependency ratio: 68.8 elderly dependency ratio: 6 potential support ratio: 16.5 (2021 est.)
Drinking water source [time series]
improved: urban: 95% of population rural: 65.9% of population total: 73.1% of population unimproved: urban: 5% of population rural: 34.1% of population total: 26.9% of population (2020 est.)
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
12.8% of GDP (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups [time series]
Melanesian 95.3%, Polynesian 3.1%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 0.3% (2009 est.)
Gross reproduction rate [time series]
1.38 (2023 est.)
Hospital bed density [time series]
1.4 beds/1,000 population (2012)
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.) male: 23.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages [time series]
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 [time series]
total population: 77 years (2023 est.) male: 74.3 years female: 79.7 years
Literacy [time series]
total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Major urban areas - population [time series]
82,000 HONIARA (capital) (2018)
Maternal mortality ratio [time series]
122 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Median age [time series]
total: 24.8 years (2023 est.) male: 24.6 years female: 25 years
Mother's mean age at first birth [time series]
22.6 years (2015 est.) note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
Nationality [time series]
noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander
Net migration rate [time series]
-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]
22.5% (2016)
Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]
0.19 physicians/1,000 population (2016)
Population [time series]
714,766 (2023 est.)
Population distribution [time series]
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 [time series]
1.69% (2023 est.)
Religions [time series]
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 [time series]
improved: urban: 95.6% of population rural: 22.6% of population total: 40.6% of population unimproved: urban: 4.4% of population rural: 77.4% of population total: 59.4% of population (2020 est.)
Sex ratio [time series]
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 (2023 est.)
Tobacco use [time series]
total: 36.5% (2020 est.) male: 53.8% (2020 est.) female: 19.2% (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
2.82 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 26% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) [time series]
total: 1.9% (2021 est.) male: 1.6% female: 2.3%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
from 2003 to 2017, at the request of the Solomon Islands Governor-General, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), consisting of police, military, and civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, assisted in reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order while reinforcing regional stability and security
Trafficking in persons [time series]
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List Solomon Islands does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; these efforts included developing a communication and implementation strategy for its National Action Plan and raising awareness of trafficking; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; authorities did not identify or assist victims, and protection services remained inadequate; officials did not initiate any trafficking investigations or prosecutions and, for the third consecutive year, did not convict any traffickers; the government did not conduct anti-trafficking training for its police or judicial officials who lack an understanding of trafficking; for the fourth consecutive year, authorities did not conduct systematic monitoring and inspection activities at logging sites or in the fishing or mining sectors, despite clear indicators of trafficking; therefore, Solomon Islands was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023) trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Solomon Islands, and traffickers exploit Solomon Islanders abroad; traffickers also use Solomon Islands as a transit point to move victims to other countries; local, South Asian, and Southeast Asian men and women are exploited in labor and sex trafficking in Solomon islands; local children are especially vulnerable to labor and sex trafficking; women from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines often pay large recruitment fees for jobs in Solomon Islands but are forced or coerced into commercial sex upon arrival; men from Indonesia and Malaysia are exploited in the logging, fishing, palm oil, and mining industries, while fisherman from Fiji, Indonesia, North Korea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam are at risk of exploitation on Taiwan-flagged vessels in Solomon Islands territorial waters; Chinese workers may be forced to work for Chinese companies in Solomon Islands; women and girls may be at risk of debt-based coercion in sex trafficking and domestic servitude; some official corruption may facilitate trafficking through irregular migration and involvement in the fishing and forestry sectors; some boys, girls, and young women are recruited for domestic work but then exploited in commercial sex at logging camps; Solomon Islander children may be exploited in labor trafficking in the agricultural sector, forced harvesting of seafood, and forced criminality in drug production and transportation and pickpocketing; widespread social stigma against LGBTQI+ individuals increases their vulnerability to trafficking (2023)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
36 (2021)
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
1 note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the typical length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
35 note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix [time series]
H4
Heliports [time series]
3 (2021)
Merchant marine [time series]
total: 27 (2022) by type: general cargo 9, oil tanker 1, other 17
National air transport system [time series]
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 (2018) mt-km
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
major seaport(s): Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru Harbor, Tulagi
Roadways [time series]
total: 1,390 km (2011) paved: 34 km (2011) unpaved: 1,356 km (2011) note: includes 920 km of private plantation roads