Background: 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 theater of WWII. 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.

Area
Total: 28,896 km²
Land: 27,986 km²
Water: 910 km²
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
Note: 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

Land use
Agricultural land: 3.9% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 0.8% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 2.8% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.3% (2023 est.)
Forest: 89.9% (2023 est.)
Other: 6.2% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

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, and 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)

Population
Total: 726,799 (2024 est.)
Male: 370,970
Female: 355,829
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
Growth rate: 1.65% (2024 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)

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

Population growth rate: 1.65% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

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.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 123 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

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

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 74.6 years
Female: 80 years

Total fertility rate: 2.77 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Rural: 40.6% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 73.1% of population

Sanitation facility access
Rural: 77.4% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 59.4% of population

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 1.5% (2024 est.); 1.5% (2023 est.); 1.5% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

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 2,028

Flag description: divided diagonally by a yellow stripe from the lower-left corner; the upper triangle (left side) is blue with five five-pointed white stars in an 'X' pattern; the lower triangle is green

National anthem
Title: 'God Save the King'
Lyrics/music: unknown
History: in use since 1745

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 2.5% (2024 est.); 2.7% (2023 est.); 2.4% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 2.5% (2024 est.); 2.7% (2023 est.); 2.4% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

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.)
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

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

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

Labor force: 435,600 (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 1.5% (2024 est.); 1.5% (2023 est.); 1.5% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 1.5% (2024 est.); 1.5% (2023 est.); 1.5% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $436.174 million (2022 est.)
Expenditures: $482.24 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

Taxes and other revenues: 20.7% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

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
Commodities: wood, fish, gold, precious metal ore, palm oil (2023)
Commodities 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
Commodities: refined petroleum, plastic products, fish, broadcasting equipment, iron structures (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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.)
Access electrification - total population: 76% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 79%
Access electrification - rural areas: 75.4%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 90.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 5.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources 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 CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 318,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 5.655 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 7,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2022 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 474,000 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 67 (2021 est.)

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

Airports: 36 (2025)

Heliports: 2 (2025)

Merchant marine
Total: 25 (2023)
By type: general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 16