Characteristics of the Fijian population
Population distribution. Most of Fiji's population lives on Viti Levu: around 75% of the population lives on Fiji's main island, mainly on the coast of Viti Levu and very few inland. If we take into account its entire metropolitan area (including the towns of Nausori, Lami and Nasuni), Suva, the capital, is home to around 300,000 inhabitants, or one in three Fijians. Vanua Levu, the country's2nd largest island, accounts for 88% of Fiji's population.
A truly pyramidal age structure. Fiji's population is young, with an average age of 30. Around a third are under 14, 63% are between 15 and 64, and only 4% are over 65. Life expectancy for the Fijian population is 67 years (around 65 for men and 70 for women). Fijian women have their first child quite young, on average in their early twenties. Fijians have great respect for the elderly and their experience, which gives them a privileged place in society. For example, during the kava ceremony, the oldest person is the master of ceremonies.
Business sectors. Until the early 2000s, the population worked mainly (around 70%) in the agricultural sector (sugar cane is an essential resource, far ahead of coconuts, ginger, manioc, etc.). Tourism has gone from being an emerging sector to the driving force behind the economy. Logically, the Covid crisis has had a major impact on the Fijian economy, with the tourism sector more than severely affected by the closure of borders and the absence of revenue for almost two years. By 2023, the tourism sector had almost returned to normal, and efforts continue to be made to improve the country's attractiveness.
A very welcoming population. Once feared for their cannibalistic practices, Fijians are now considered one of the world's most welcoming populations. In the street, everyone will talk to you and say hello(bula). Children will take an interest in you and ask you questions about the country you're from. Hospitality is very important to Fijians. You're sure to get the chance to chat with the locals, either casually or during ceremonies such as the kava ceremony. Fijians enjoy sharing their culture with visitors, and there's none of the tourist fatigue that some locals in other tourist countries may have. On the other hand, if you need something or ask a question, it's hard for Fijians to say "no", so often you won't get a clear answer if they don't know or can't answer your request.
English as a language of communication alongside two other official languages
Three languages are official in Fiji: Fijian, English and Hindi-Fijian.
Fijian is an Oceanic language with a 23-letter alphabet (H, X and Z are not used) and is spoken by around 450,000 people in Fiji. Several Fijian dialects are spoken, but the one originally from the island of Bau is considered the most widely used, known as Bauan.
English was introduced by British merchants and explorers in the early 19th century, several decades before Fiji's cession to England was signed. English became the language of communication between settlers and indigenous Fijians. English has retained its status as the language of communication between the different groups.
Hindi-Fijian. The arrival of Indian workers in Fiji between 1879 and 1916 brought a third main language to the islands: Hindi-Fijian, a combination of several dialects of Hindi with the influence of English and Fijian.
Among the country'sminority languages is Rotuman , spoken by the inhabitants of the geographically remote island of Rotuma, which has its own identity. Several Fijian dialects still exist, as do other Indian languages. Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese are spoken by the country's Chinese immigrants.
The Indo-Fijians
A particular feature of Fiji is the coexistence of indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Almost 150 years after the arrival of the first Indian workers, who would later make up the majority of the Indo-Fijian population, there is still a fairly separate society between these two groups. Fijian property law gave ownership of the vast majority of land (around 87%) to the native Fijian population, who then leased this land to Indo-Fijians for cultivation or to investors building resorts. This system has not helped the economic integration of Indo-Fijians, who traditionally farmed land, particularly sugarcane, but did not own it. This may explain the high level of emigration of Indo-Fijians during the 20th century, when they went from being the country's majority group at the end of the Second World War to just under 40% of Fiji's population. A minority of Indo-Fijians are wealthy and economically integrated, owning businesses or shops, but the vast majority are workers, particularly in agriculture, and are among the poorest in the country. The troubled political context of recent decades is linked in particular to tensions between the interests of the two groups. The return to democratic stability is perhaps a ray of hope in this respect, even if the current government is not unanimously supported by the Indo-Fijian population. Indeed, the current Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, was involved in two coups d'état in 1987, leaving a bitter memory with the Indo-Fijian population, as he justified his actions by the need, in his view, to prioritize the interests of indigenous Fijians.
