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INFRASTRUCTURE EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE IN FIJI
With well-developed infrastructure, Fiji has become a hub for the Pacific, hosting the secretariat for the Pacific Islands Forum and the main campus of the University of the South Pacific.In addition, Fiji is a center for Pacific tourism, and Nadi International Airport is by far the busiest airport in a Pacific island country. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Education Expenditures: 5.7 percent of GDP (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 51. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Literacy: total population: 99.1 percent; male: 99.1 percent; female: 99.1 percent (2018). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Youth Unemployment Rate (ages 15-24): total: 18.1 percent; male: 14.1 percent; female: 25.9 percent (2021 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 95
Health Expenditures: 3.8 percent of GDP (2020). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Number of Doctors: 0.86 physicians per 1,000 people (2015). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Number of Hospital Beds: 2 beds per 1,000 people (2016). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Sanitation Access: improved: urban: 100 percent of population; rural: 100 percent of population; total: 100 percent of population; unimproved: urban: 0 percent of population; rural: 0 percent of population; total: 0 percent of population (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Energy in Fiji
Energy Consumption Per Capita: 32.901 million Btu/person (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 118. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Carbon Dioxide Emissions: 1.691 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 estimate)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 estimate)
from petroleum and other liquids: 1.691 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 estimate)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: emissions 164.
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Electricity in Fiji
Access to Electricity: electrification: total population: 92.1 percent (2021); electrification: urban areas: 96 percent (2021); electrification: rural areas: 86.7 percent (2021). [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Electricity Consumption and Production: installed generating capacity: 393,000 kW (2020 estimate)
consumption: 1,022,955,000 kWh (2019 estimate)
exports: 0 kWh (2020 estimate)
imports: 0 kWh (2020 estimate)
transmission/distribution losses: 90 million kWh (2019 estimate)
comparison rankings: installed generating capacity 154; consumption 157; exports 144; imports 158; transmission/distribution losses 161. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Sources of Electricity Generation: fossil fuels: 41.9 percent of total installed capacity (2020 estimate)
nuclear: 0 percent of total installed capacity (2020 estimate)
solar: 1.6 percent of total installed capacity (2020 estimate)
wind: 0.3 percent of total installed capacity (2020 estimate)
hydroelectricity: 50.2 percent of total installed capacity (2020 estimate)
tide and wave: 0 percent of total installed capacity (2020 estimate)
geothermal: 0 percent of total installed capacity (2020 estimate)
biomass and waste: 6 percent of total installed capacity (2020 estimate).
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Oil, Coal and Natural Gas in Fiji
Coal: production: 0 metric tons (2020 estimate)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 estimate)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 estimate)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 estimate)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 estimate).
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Petroleum: total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 estimate)
refined petroleum consumption: 11,500 bbl/day (2019 estimate)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 estimate)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 estimate)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 estimate)
Refined petroleum products: production
0 bbl/day (2015 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 191.
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Refined Petroleum Products: Exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 128. Imports: 17,460 bbl/day (2015 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 132. Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Natural Gas: production: 0 cubic meters (2021 estimate)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 estimate)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 estimate)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 estimate)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 estimate).
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Communications in Fiji
Telephones: Fixed Lines: total subscriptions: 49,000 (2021 estimate); subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2021 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: subscriptions 157. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Mobile Telephones: total subscriptions: 990,000 (2021 estimate); subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2021 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: subscriptions 163. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Telecommunication Systems: general assessment: Fiji is the leading market to watch in terms of both LTE and 5G development in the region; the market boasts relatively sophisticated, advanced digital infrastructure, with telcos’ heavy investment resulting in the country having the highest mobile and internet subscriptions in the Pacific Islands region; LTE, LTE-A, and fiber technologies have received the most investment by the Fijian mobile operators, LTE now accounts for the largest share of connections in the mobile segment; concentrating on the more highly populated areas, the operators are preparing for the next growth area of high-speed data; they also have 5G in mind, and are preparing their networks to be 5G-ready, anticipating an easier migration to the technology based on the relatively high LTE subscription rate; Fiji presents a challenging geographic environment for infrastructure development due to its population being spread across more than 100 islands; the majority of Fijians live on the two main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu; in July 2018, the two islands were linked by the Savusavu submarine cable system, which provides a more secure link in times of emergency weather events such as the regular tropical cyclones that often cause massive destruction to the area, including destroying essential infrastructure such as electricity and telecommunications equipment; notably, the December 2021 eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai submarine volcano in Tonga damaged the Tonga Cable which connects Fiji, and Tonga blocking the latter off from internet services; cable theft and damage of critical communications infrastructure has also become a concern in Fiji, prompting authorities to establish a joint task force to tackle the issue (2022). Domestic: fixed-line nearly 5 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 110 per 100 persons (2021). International: country code: 679; landing points for the ICN1, SCCN, Southern Cross NEXT, Tonga Cable and Tui-Samoa submarine cable links to US, NZ, Australia and Pacific islands of Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Fallis & Futuna, and American Samoa; satellite earth stations: 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019). [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Broadcast Media: Fiji TV, a publicly traded company, operates a free-to-air channel; Digicel Fiji operates the Sky Fiji and Sky Pacific multi-channel pay-TV services; state-owned commercial company, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, Ltd, operates 6 radio stations: 2 public broadcasters and 4 commercial broadcasters with multiple repeaters; 5 radio stations with repeaters operated by Communications Fiji, Ltd; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Internet Users: total: 809,600 (2021 estimate); Percent of the Population: 88 percent (2021 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 155; Broadband: Fixed Subscriptions: total: 23,062 (2020 estimate); subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 162. Internet Country Code: .fj [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Transportation in Fiji
Railways: total: 597 kilometers (2008); narrow gauge: 597 kilometers (2008) 0.600-m gauge. note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during the harvest season, which runs from May to December; ranking compared to other countries in the world: 108. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Roads: total: 3,440 kilometers (2011); paved: 1,686 kilometers (2011); unpaved: 1,754 kilometers (2011); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 159[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Waterways: 203 kilometers (2012) (122 kilometers are navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 107. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Water Transport: Merchant Marine: total: 75; By Type: general cargo 21, oil tanker 4, other 50 (2022); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 104; Ports and Terminals: major seaport(s): Lautoka, Levuka, Suva
Air Transportation in Fiji
National Air Transport System: number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 16; annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,670,216 (2018); annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 106.83 million (2018) mt-km; Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: DQ. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Airports: 28 (2021); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 122; Airports: with paved runways: 4. 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 meters (16,000 feet), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 meters (8,000-13,000 feet);
Airports with Unpaved Runways: 24. 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 meters (3,280 feet) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Image Sources:
Text Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated August 2023