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 war. 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. TipVisit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.Definitions and Notes
Geography
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
comparison ranking: total 143
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
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
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: 4.3% (2022 est.)
arable land: 0.8% (2022 est.)
permanent crops: 3.2% (2022 est.)
permanent pasture: 0.3% (2022 est.)
forest: 90.1% (2022 est.)
other: 5.6% (2022 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, while 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 and Society
Population
total: 726,799 (2024 est.)
male: 370,970
female: 355,829
comparison rankings: total 167; female 167; male 167
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)
2024 population pyramid:
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 55.9 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 47.7 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 8.2 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 12.2 (2024 est.)
Median age
total: 25.2 years (2024 est.)
male: 25 years
female: 25.4 years
comparison ranking: total 171
Population growth rate
1.65% (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 57
Birth rate
22 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 54
Death rate
3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 216
Net migration rate
-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 157
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.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
Maternal mortality ratio
122 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
comparison ranking: 64
Infant mortality rate
total: 19.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
male: 22.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.2 deaths/1,000 live births
comparison ranking: total 79
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 77.2 years (2024 est.)
male: 74.6 years
female: 80 years
comparison ranking: total population 95
Total fertility rate
2.77 children born/woman (2024 est.)
comparison ranking: 56
Gross reproduction rate
1.35 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
29.3% (2015)
Drinking water source
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.)
Health expenditure
4.8% of GDP (2021)
9.7% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density
0.24 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Sanitation facility access
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.)
Obesity – adult prevalence rate
22.5% (2016)
comparison ranking: 75
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.)
comparison ranking: total 146
Tobacco use
total: 36.8% (2025 est.)
male: 54.5% (2025 est.)
female: 18.8% (2025 est.)
comparison ranking: total 6
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
16.2% (2015)
comparison ranking: 30
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
64.1% (2023 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
8.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
25.9% national budget (2023 est.)
comparison ranking: Education expenditure (% GDP) 9
Literacy
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Environment
Environment – current issues
deforestation; soil erosion; damage to coral reefs
Environment – international 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
Climate
tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes
Land use
agricultural land: 4.3% (2022 est.)
arable land: 0.8% (2022 est.)
permanent crops: 3.2% (2022 est.)
permanent pasture: 0.3% (2022 est.)
forest: 90.1% (2022 est.)
other: 5.6% (2022 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 26% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Air pollutants
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.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 179,972 tons (2013 est.)
Total renewable water resources
44.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Government
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: 6%
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)
People First Party or PFP
Solomon Islands Democratic Party or SIDP
Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA
Solomon Islands United Party or SIUP
United for Change Party or U4C
Coalition for Accountability Reform and Empowerment (CARE) is comprised of DAP, SIDP, and U4C
note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
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:
[email protected]
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:
[email protected]
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 thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green; 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
name: “God Save Our Solomon Islands”
lyrics/music: Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA
note: adopted 1978
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 1 (natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales: East Rennell
Economy
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)
$2.027 billion (2023 est.)
$1.967 billion (2022 est.)
$1.921 billion (2021 est.)
note: data in 2021 dollars
comparison ranking: 200
Real GDP growth rate
3.08% (2023 est.)
2.4% (2022 est.)
2.56% (2021 est.)
note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
comparison ranking: 105
Real GDP per capita
$2,500 (2023 est.)
$2,500 (2022 est.)
$2,500 (2021 est.)
note: data in 2021 dollars
comparison ranking: 206
GDP (official exchange rate)
$1.633 billion (2023 est.)
note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.9% (2023 est.)
5.5% (2022 est.)
-0.1% (2021 est.)
note: annual % change based on consumer prices
comparison ranking: 162
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
comparison rankings: services 167; industry 150; agriculture 9
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.) NA
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
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
Industries
fish (tuna), mining, timber
Industrial production growth rate
4.7% (2022 est.)
note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
comparison ranking: 56
Labor force
435,600 (2024 est.)
note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
comparison ranking: 161
Unemployment rate
1.5% (2024 est.)
1.5% (2023 est.)
1.5% (2022 est.)
note: % of labor force seeking employment
comparison ranking: 14
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
comparison ranking: total 189
Gini Index coefficient – distribution of family income
(2013)
Remittances
5.18% of GDP (2023 est.)
5.18% of GDP (2022 est.)
3.35% of GDP (2021 est.)
note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Budget
revenues: $436.2 million (2022 est.)
expenditures: $423.726 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
Public debt
15.4% of GDP (2022 est.)
note: central government debt as a % of GDP
comparison ranking: 194
Taxes and other revenues
20.7% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
comparison ranking: 80
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
comparison ranking: 96
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
comparison ranking: 190
Exports – partners
China 56%, Australia 11%, Italy 10%, Spain 5%, Netherlands 4% (2023)
note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Exports – commodities
wood, fish, gold, precious metal ore, palm oil (2023)
note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
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
comparison ranking: 195
Imports – partners
China 42%, Singapore 13%, Australia 13%, Taiwan 5%, Malaysia 5% (2023)
note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Imports – commodities
refined petroleum, plastic products, fish, broadcasting equipment, iron structures (2023)
note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
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
comparison ranking: 158
Debt – external
$184.191 million (2023 est.)
note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
comparison ranking: 121
Exchange rates
Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar –
Exchange rates:
8.455 (2024 est.)
8.376 (2023 est.)
8.156 (2022 est.)
8.03 (2021 est.)
8.213 (2020 est.)
Energy
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.)
comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 25; consumption 199; installed generating capacity 199
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.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
318,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 318,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
comparison ranking: total emissions 196
Energy consumption per capita
5.655 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
comparison ranking: 168
Communications
Telephones – fixed lines
total subscriptions: 7,000 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2022 est.) less than 1
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 194
Telephones – mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 474,000 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 67 (2021 est.)
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 176
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
comparison ranking: total 209
Transportation
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
H4
Airports
36 (2025)
comparison ranking: 111
Heliports
2 (2025)
comparison ranking: 135
Merchant marine
total: 25 (2023)
by type: general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 16
comparison ranking: total 142
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
Military and Security
Military and security forces
no regular military forces; the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) (2025)
Military – note
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; from November 2021 to August 2024, an Australian-led Solomon Islands Assistance Force (SIAF) provided support to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in maintaining stability; the SIAF also included military and police personnel from New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea; following the conclusion of the SIAF mission, Australia continued to provide security assistance to the Solomon Islands; the Solomon Islands Government has also signed police and security agreements with China (2024)
Transnational Issues
Trafficking in persons
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Solomon Islands remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/solomon-islands/
