01
Physical geography
Mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls.
Local timeHoniara ·
Oceania / Melanesia · Card 023
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia. Its capital is Honiara.
Find Solomon Islands
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Honiara
- Languages
- English, Pijin & local languages
- Currency
- Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
- Population
- 838,6452025 · World Bank
- Area
- 28,896 km²11,156.80 square miles
- Independence
- 1978from the UK
Solomon Islands in context
Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Honiara; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
English is official. Solomon Islands Pijin and many Indigenous languages are widely used.
03
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea.
Flag
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
History & independence
The islands have a long Indigenous settlement history. Britain established a protectorate over the southern islands in 1893, later extending its reach. Guadalcanal became a major Second World War battleground. Solomon Islands gained independence in 1978. Serious internal conflict in the late 1990s and early 2000s was followed by the regional assistance mission RAMSI, which operated from 2003 to 2017.
-
Britain establishes a protectorate over the southern islands
-
The Guadalcanal campaign begins
-
Solomon Islands becomes independent
-
The RAMSI regional assistance mission begins
Economy
Main activities
Agriculture, fisheries and forestry support livelihoods and exports. Logging has been a major export activity, but depletion of accessible forests raises sustainability concerns. Tuna processing, construction, public services and small-scale tourism also contribute. Scattered islands and limited infrastructure make transport costly.
Industry and production
Timber production, tuna processing, agriculture, construction and services.
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Thousands of people838.62025 · thousands of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Thousands of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 176,579 | 176.579 |
| 1980 | 238,135 | 238.135 |
| 1990 | 331,435 | 331.435 |
| 2000 | 440,469 | 440.469 |
| 2010 | 532,968 | 532.968 |
| 2020 | 744,498 | 744.498 |
| 2025 | 838,645 | 838.645 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars1.52025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 598,482,808 | 0.598 |
| 1991 | 634,391,791 | 0.634 |
| 1992 | 714,959,534 | 0.715 |
| 1993 | 743,557,913 | 0.744 |
| 1994 | 803,786,113 | 0.804 |
| 1995 | 884,877,004 | 0.885 |
| 1996 | 899,122,707 | 0.899 |
| 1997 | 890,904,028 | 0.891 |
| 1998 | 902,410,153 | 0.902 |
| 1999 | 898,026,873 | 0.898 |
| 2000 | 769,815,580 | 0.770 |
| 2001 | 708,564,392 | 0.709 |
| 2002 | 688,724,703 | 0.689 |
| 2003 | 733,653,436 | 0.734 |
| 2004 | 790,024,732 | 0.790 |
| 2005 | 848,163,277 | 0.848 |
| 2006 | 883,254,018 | 0.883 |
| 2007 | 915,402,123 | 0.915 |
| 2008 | 972,394,202 | 0.972 |
| 2009 | 1,000,251,965 | 1.000 |
| 2010 | 1,097,358,150 | 1.097 |
| 2011 | 1,178,894,467 | 1.179 |
| 2012 | 1,207,965,042 | 1.208 |
| 2013 | 1,271,231,572 | 1.271 |
| 2014 | 1,286,352,300 | 1.286 |
| 2015 | 1,307,908,814 | 1.308 |
| 2016 | 1,380,562,409 | 1.381 |
| 2017 | 1,423,021,078 | 1.423 |
| 2018 | 1,462,095,137 | 1.462 |
| 2019 | 1,487,670,872 | 1.488 |
| 2020 | 1,437,368,863 | 1.437 |
| 2021 | 1,434,092,017 | 1.434 |
| 2022 | 1,397,028,144 | 1.397 |
| 2023 | 1,436,719,369 | 1.437 |
| 2024 | 1,479,785,892 | 1.480 |
| 2025 | 1,533,311,981 | 1.533 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.584Medium human developmentRank 156 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
20000.547
20100.564
20200.579
20230.584
70.5 yearsLife expectancy at birth
5.9 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
A parliamentary constitutional monarchy. A Governor-General represents the monarch, a Prime Minister leads the government, and the National Parliament has one chamber.
Knowledge check
Three questions about Solomon Islands.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
What is the capital of Solomon Islands?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.