Fiji Islands - Society

Population:844,000 (2008); 52% lives in urban areas; growth 1.7% p.a. 1970–90 and 0.9% p.a. 1990–2006; birth rate (2006) 22 per 1,000 people (35 in 1970); life expectancy 69 years (60 in 1970).

More than 50% of the people are ethnic Fijians, who are of mixed Polynesian–Melanesian origin, and most of the rest are of Indian origin. There are small populations of Europeans, Banabans, Tuvaluans and Chinese.

Religion:Christians 52% (mainly Methodist), Hindus 38%, Muslims 8%, small number of Sikhs (1986).

Language:The official language is English, but Fijian, of which there are more than 300 dialects, is widely spoken. A single dialect, Bauan, is used in the media. Hindi is the main language of the Indian population, although it is now distinct from that spoken in mainland India. English, Fijian and Hindi are all taught in schools and most of the population is at least bilingual.

Media:Fiji Islands has two main television stations: Fiji TV, a national free-to-air channel; and Sky Fiji, a pay-to-view channel. Radio is a major source of information, particularly on the outer islands, and the state-owned Fiji Broadcasting Corporation runs Radio Fiji One and Hindi Radio Fiji Two as well as music-based stations. The BBC World Service and Radio Australia are both available on FM.

Daily English-language newspapers are Fiji Times (founded 1869), Fiji Sun and Daily Post (1989, partly state-owned). The publishers of Fiji Times also produce weekly Fijian and Hindi papers, while a fortnightly Fijian paper is available from Sun Publishers.

There are 118 TV sets (2003), 52 personal computers (2004) and 94 internet users per 1,000 people (2007).

Education:Public spending on education was 6.4% of GDP in 2005. There are ten years of compulsory education starting at age six. Net enrolment ratios are 91% for primary and 79% for secondary (2006). The pupil–teacher ratio for primary is 28:1 and for secondary 17:1 (2005). The school year starts in January.

There are about 50 further education institutions, including four teacher-training colleges. The main campus of the regional University of the South Pacific (founded 1968), Fiji Institute of Technology and Fiji School of Medicine are all located in Suva. Illiteracy among people age 15–24 is 0.7% (0.9% for males and 0.6% for females, 1996 census).

Health:There is a comprehensive system providing universal health and dental services for nominal fees. There are 25 hospitals. 47% of the population uses an improved drinking water source and 71% in urban areas have adequate sanitation facilities (2006). The country is free of malaria. Infant mortality was 16 per 1,000 live births in 2006 (71 in 1960).

Communications: Country code 679. Mobile phone coverage in the outer islands is patchy and visitors may find they can only get in touch by satellite phone. International calls can be made from Viti Levu. Calls from hotels tend to be expensive; public phonecards, available from post offices and newsagents, are cheaper. Internet cafes can be found in Suva, Nadi, Lautoka and most resorts.

There are 129 main telephone lines and 521 mobile phone subscriptions per 1,000 people (2007).

Public holidays: New Year’s Day, National Youth Day (Friday in early May), Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day (late May), Queen’s Official Birthday (mid-June), Constitution Day (Monday around 28 July), Fiji Day (Monday around 10 October), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Religious and other festivals whose dates vary from year to year include Prophet’s Birthday, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Diwali (October/November).