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PEOPLE OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS
Name of the People: noun: Solomon Islander(s); adjective: Solomon Islander.
Ethnic Groups: Melanesian 95.3 percent, Polynesian 3.1 percent, Micronesian 1.2 percent, other 0.3 percent (2009 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Languages: Melanesian pidgin (in much of the country is lingua franca), English (official but spoken by only 1 percent-2 percent of the population), 120 indigenous languages. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Religions: Protestant 73.4 percent (Church of Melanesia 31.9 percent, South Sea Evangelical 17.1 percent, Seventh Day Adventist 11.7 percent, United Church 10.1 percent, Christian Fellowship Church 2.5 percent), Roman Catholic 19.6 percent, other Christian 2.9 percent, other 4 percent, unspecified 0.1 percent (2009 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population of the Solomon Islands
Population: 714,766 (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 167. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Growth: 1.69 percent (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 53; Birth rate: 22.34 births/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 52; Death rate: 3.95 deaths per 1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 215; Net migration rate: -1.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 159. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
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. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Demography of the Solomon Islands
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 31.06 percent (male 114,104/female 107,900); 15-64 years: 63.82 percent (male 233,501/female 222,640); 65 years and over: 5.12 percent (2023 estimate) (male 17,238/female 19,383). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Dependency Ratios: total dependency ratio: 74.8; youth dependency ratio: 68.8; elderly dependency ratio: 6; potential support ratio: 16.5 (2021 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Median Age: total: 23.5 years; male: 23.2 years; female: 23.7 years (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 175. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Urbanization: urban population: 26 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 3.57 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate); Major Urban Areas (population): 82,000 HONIARA (capital) (2018)
Fertility, Birth Control, Marriage and Sex
Total Fertility Rate: 2.82 children born per woman (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 52; Gross reproduction rate: 1.38 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Contraceptive Use: 29.3 percent (2015). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Married Women (ages 15-49): 64.1 percent (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Mother’s Mean Age at First Birth: .22.6 years (2015 estimate).Data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
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 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Health of the Solomon Islands People
Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 76.96 years; male: 74.32 years; female: 79.73 years (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: population 100. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Infant Mortality Rate: total: 19.53 deaths per 1,000 live births; male: 23.3 deaths per 1,000 live births; female: 15.58 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 80. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Maternal Mortality Ratio: 122 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 64. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Obesity (prevalence rate among adults): 22.5 percent (2016); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 75. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita: total: 1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); beer: 1.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); wine: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); spirits: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 146. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Percentage of Population That Uses Tobacco: total: 36.5 percent (2020 estimate); male: 53.8 percent (2020 estimate); female: 19.2 percent (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 12. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Children Under the Age of Five Years That Are Underweight 16.2 percent (2015); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 34. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Drinking Water Source: improved: urban: 95 percent of population; rural: 65.9 percent of population; total: 73.1 percent of population; unimproved: urban: 5 percent of population; rural: 34.1 percent of population; total: 26.9 percent of population (2020 estimate). [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