Solomon Islands People - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

714,766 (2023 est.)

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 (in much of the country is lingua franca), 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: 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)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 74.8

youth dependency ratio: 68.8

elderly dependency ratio: 6

potential support ratio: 16.5 (2021 est.)

Median age

total: 23.5 years

male: 23.2 years

female: 23.7 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

1.69% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

22.34 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

3.95 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 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

Urbanization

urban population: 26% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

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 (2023 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.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 19.53 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 23.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 15.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.96 years

male: 74.32 years

female: 79.73 years (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.82 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.38 (2023 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.)

Current health expenditure

4.4% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

0.19 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2012)

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)

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.)

Tobacco use

total: 36.5% (2020 est.)

male: 53.8% (2020 est.)

female: 19.2% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

16.2% (2015)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

64.1% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

12.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 1.9%

male: 1.6%

female: 2.3% (2021 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Solomon Islands on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Solomon Islands 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Solomon Islands 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.