Solomon Islands Country Overview
Where is Solomon Islands located? The archipelago of the Solomon Islands, or Solomon Islands, is located in the Southwest Pacific near New Guinea. According to the time zone map, the world time zone in which the Solomon Islands are located is called “Solomon Islands Time”. There is a general time shift of +11 hours to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This standard difference does not change in daylight saving time, since a time changeover to daylight saving time is not common.
Bordering Countries of Solomon Islands
According to abbreviationfinder, the Solomon Islands is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean, just east of Papua New Guinea. It is made up of six major islands and numerous smaller ones, and has a population of approximately 634,000 people. The country is bordered by four countries, namely Papua New Guinea to the west, Vanuatu to the south, the Federated States of Micronesia to the east and Nauru to the north.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country located in Oceania with a population of over 8 million people. It shares its western border with the Solomon Islands and has a maritime border with Indonesia in the south. PNG is rich in natural resources such as oil and gas reserves, gold, copper and timber. It also has a wide range of flora and fauna including many endemic species found nowhere else on earth.
Vanuatu lies to the south of Solomon Islands across an oceanic trench called “the Vanuatu Trench” which separates them from each other. The country consists of over 80 islands divided into six provinces with a population of almost 300 thousand people. Vanuatu has rich volcanic soils which make it suitable for agriculture activities such as coffee production and livestock farming as well as fishing activities along its coastline areas.
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) lies to the east across an oceanic trench called “the Caroline Trench” which separates them from each other. It consists of four states namely Yap State, Chuuk State, Kosrae State and Pohnpei State that are spread across 607 islands but only 70 are inhabited with a total population estimated at around 106 thousand people. FSM is rich in marine life making it ideal for fishing activities while its tropical climate makes it ideal for tourism activities such as snorkelling or surfing among others.
Nauru lies to the north across an oceanic trench called “the Nauru Trench” which separates them from each other. It is one of three island nations located within Micronesia with a population estimated at around 11 thousand people spread across 21 square kilometres making it one of the smallest countries in world by area size as well landlocked countries by sea area size. Nauru’s economy relies heavily on phosphate mining activities while tourism also plays an important role due to its pristine beaches and crystal clear waters perfect for swimming or snorkelling activities among others.
Population Distribution
As of 2023, the latest population of Solomon Islands is 685,097, based on our calculation of the current data from UN (United Nations).
| Total population | 685,097 |
| Population growth rate | 1.84% |
| Birth rate | 24.90 births per 1,000 people |
| Life expectancy | |
| Overall life expectancy | 74.66 years |
| Men life expectancy | 72.05 years |
| Women life expectancy | 77.39 years |
| Age structure | |
| 0-14 years | 34.05% |
| 15-64 years | 61.61% |
| 65 years and above | 4.34% |
| Median age | 21.90 years |
| Gender ratio (Male to Female) | 1.04 |
| Population density | 23.71 residents per km² |
| Urbanization | 16.50% |
| Ethnicities | |
| 95% Melanesians, 3% Polynesians, 1% Micronesians; also Europeans and Chinese | |
| Religions | |
| Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Catholics (Roman Catholic) 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17% Seventh-day Adventists 11.2% Uniate Church 10.3% Christian Fellowship Church 2.4% Members of other Christian denominations 4.4% Members of other religions 2.4% not specified 0.3% non-denominational 0.2% [1999 census] | |
| Human Development Index (HDI) | 0.557 |
| HDI ranking | 153rd out of 194 |
People in Solomon Islands
Most of the people in the Solomon Islands are Melanesians, plus a few Polynesians and one in 100 residents has ancestors from Micronesia. A few immigrants come from China, India, Australia or Europe. Two thirds of them live on the larger islands of the Solomon Islands, namely on Guadalcanal, New Georgia and Malaita.
Languages in Solomon Islands
The official language is English, but very few people actually speak English as their first language. So-called pidgin English is widely used. There are also many other dialects from Melanesia and Polynesia. The language density in the Solomon Islands is very high. Only 62 out of 100 people in the Solomon Islands can read and write.
Incidentally, it is said that the Solomon Islands has the highest malaria rate in the world and one in three residents gets malaria every year. Dengue fever has also been spreading more and more on the Solomon Islands for several years.
Religions in Solomon Islands
20 out of 100 people are Catholics. Then there is a large proportion of Anglicans, followed by Adventists and Methodists. There are also other smaller religious groups.