Local time--:--:--Honiara ·

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.

At a glance

Capital: Honiara
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
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 map

Geography & environment

Landscape

The Solomon Islands is an archipelago of high volcanic islands, lower coral islands and atolls. The larger islands have rugged interiors, forested slopes and rivers. Deep water separates many parts of the island chain.

Guadalcanal’s mountain landscape differs from the low islands and sheltered lagoon waters found elsewhere. Reefs, mangroves and coastal plains add further variety around the larger islands. Settlement is often concentrated close to the sea because interior terrain is difficult.

Climate & seasons

The islands have a warm, humid tropical climate. Monsoon winds and mountain terrain influence rainfall, with local differences between islands and slopes.

Island forests & seas

Humid tropical conditions support extensive forest habitats. Rivers carry water and sediment from uplands into coastal systems. Reefs and lagoons provide important food resources and biodiversity, while low islands have more limited freshwater supplies.

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

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

English is the official language, while Solomon Islands Pijin is widely used for communication across communities.

Community and regional languages

Many Indigenous languages are spoken, including languages associated with particular islands and smaller communities. Pijin is an English-based contact language with its own structure, used alongside the country’s Indigenous languages.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

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.

1893
Britain establishes a protectorate over the southern islands
1942
The Guadalcanal campaign begins
1978
Solomon Islands becomes independent
2003
The RAMSI regional assistance mission begins

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

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.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Thousands of people

838.62025 · thousands of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
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 dollars

1.52025 · 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

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
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.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

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.