Fiji - People

The U.S. government estimates the total population at 909,000 (July 2015 estimate). Of the total population of 827,900 (unofficial 2007 Census), 57.3% are Indigenous Fijians, 37.6% are Indian Fijian ('Indo-Fijian') and 5.1% are of other races. Fiji’s only cities are Suva (the capital) and Lautoka. Both are located on the island of Viti Levu. The town of Labasa is the main urban and administrative centre on Vanua Levu. Most of Fiji's population lives on Viti Levu's coasts, either in Suva or in smaller urban centers. The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely populated due to its rough terrain.

Indigenous Fijians are a mixture of Polynesian and Melanesian, resulting from the original migrations to the South Pacific many centuries ago. The Indo-Fijian population grew rapidly from the 60,000 indentured laborers brought from India between 1879 and 1916 to work in the sugarcane fields. Thousands more Indians migrated voluntarily in the 1920s and 1930s and formed the core of Fiji's business class. Native Fijians live throughout the country, while Indo-Fijians reside primarily near the urban centers and in the cane-producing areas of the two main islands.

Religious affiliation runs largely along ethnic lines. Nearly all of indigenous Fijians are Christian; more than three-quarters are Methodist. Approximately 80% of Indo-Fijians are Hindu, 15% are Muslim, and around 6% are Christian.

According to the 2007 census, approximately 64 percent of the population is Christian, 28 percent Hindu, and 6 percent Muslim. The largest Christian denomination is the Methodist Church, which, according to the 2007 census, has approximately 290,000 members. Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church also have significant membership. There are a small number of nondenominational Christian groups and small communities of Bahais and Sikhs.

According to the 2007 census, most indigenous citizens, who constitute 57 percent of the population, are Christian. The majority of the country’s traditional chiefs belong to the Methodist Church, and it remains influential among indigenous people, particularly in rural areas where 49 percent of the population lives. Most Indian Fijians, who account for 37 percent of the total population, are Hindu, while roughly 20 percent of Indian Fijians are Muslim and 6 percent Christian. Approximately 60 percent of the small Chinese community is Christian. The small community of mixed European and Fijian ancestry is predominantly Christian.

Some Indo-Fijians have been displaced by the expiration of land leases in cane-producing areas and have moved into urban centers in pursuit of jobs. Similarly, a number of indigenous Fijians have moved into urban areas, especially Suva, in search of a better life. Meanwhile, the Indo-Fijian population has declined due to emigration and a declining birth rate. Indo-Fijians currently constitute 37% of the total population, although they were the largest ethnic group from the 1940s until the late 1980s. Indo-Fijians continue to dominate the professions and commerce, while ethnic Fijians dominate government and the military.

Race relations in Fiji are generally harmonious, but the ethnic Fijian and ethnic Indian communities live largely separate lives. There were many reports of violence and discrimination against ethnic Indians in the wake of the 1987 coup and the hostage crisis in May 2000. No racial violence occurred after the 2006 military take-over. Inadequate health financing and shortage of health workers hamper Fiji primary health care efforts. 70-80% of the population has access to health services but only 40% have access to quality health services. Better government policy is needed to achieve health for all.

There are 900 village clinics, 124 nursing stations, three area hospitals, 75 health centres, 19 sub-divisional medical centres and three divisional hospitals and three speciality hospitals with TB, leprosy and medical rehabilitation units at Tamavua Hospital and St. Giles Mental Hospital in the country. There is also a Private Hospital located in Suva. The top five causes of death are related to circulatory conditions, endocrine, disorders like diabetes, cancers, respiratory problems and injuries. Diabetes is a devastating disease in Fiji and estimates reveal that one in every 8 people are affected in some way. The 2006 health worker to population ratio was 1:2,344 for doctors, 1:500 for nurses, 1:20,000 for dentists and 1:13,000 for dental therapists. Increasing demand for services has led to an expansion in the number of private general practioners and specialists practising in Fiji.