Population Information

Population: 880,874

Population Growth Rate: 1.41%

Infant mortality rate: 12.99 deaths/1,000 live births

Economic Information

Gross Domestic Product: $5.012 billion

GDP growth rate: 4.8%

GDP per capita: $5,800

Unemployment rate: 7.6%

Estimated underemployment:

Population below poverty line: 25.5%

Main export products: sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil

Main import countries: Australia 35.1%, Singapore 19.2%, New Zealand 17.2%, Japan 4.9%

Debt: $188.1 million (External)

Fiji's economy is dependent on the sugar industry and tourism. Two political coups in 1987 adversely affected tourism and caused a loss of skilled and educated workers when many Indians left the country. In 2002 Fiji's labor force stood at 342,780; most people were employed in salaried or wage positions. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing employ 2 percent of Fiji's workers and in 2002 contributed 16 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Sugarcane is the principal cash crop, while paddy rice is the chief subsistence crop.