Solomon Islands | Facts & Information

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff
Infoplease has everything you need to know about Solomon Islands. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about Solomon Islands's geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. If that's not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags.

Facts & Figures

  • Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952)

    Governor-General: Frank Kabui (2009)

    Prime Minister: Manasseh Sogavare (2014)

    Land area: 10,633 sq mi (27,539 sq km); total area: 10,985 sq mi (28,450 sq km)

    Population (2014 est.): 609,883 (growth rate: 2.07%); birth rate: 26.33/1000; infant mortality rate: 16.17/1000; life expectancy: 74.89; density per sq mi: 46.9

    Capital and largest city (2011 est.): Honiara (on Guadalcanal), 68,000

    Monetary unit: Solomon Islands dollar

    Current government officials

    Languages: English 1%–2% (official), Melanesian pidgin (lingua franca), 120 indigenous languages

    Ethnicity/race: Melanesian 95.3%, Polynesian 3.1%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 0.3% (2009 est.)

    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%, none 0.03%, unspecified 0.1% (2009 est.)

    Literacy rate: 84.1%

    Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2013 est.): $1.958 billion; per capita $3,400. Real growth rate: 4%. Inflation: 2.6%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 0.62%. Agriculture: cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish. Labor force: 202,500 (2007); agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.). Industries: fish, timber, mining. Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel. Exports: $493.1 million (2011 est.): timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa. Imports: $446 million (2012): food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals. Major trading partners: China, New Zealand, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore (2012).

    Member of British Commonwealth

    Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 8,060 (2012); mobile cellular: 302,100 (2012). Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 2 (2009). Radios: 57,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2009). Televisions: 3,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4,370 (2012). Internet users: 10,000 (2009).

    Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 1,390 km; paved: 34 km; unpaved: 1,356 km (2011 est.). Ports and harbors: Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru Harbor, Tulaghi. Airports: 36 (2013).

    International disputes: since 2003, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, consisting of police, military, and civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, has assisted in reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order while reinforcing regional stability and security.

    Major sources and definitions

See also: