Fiji’s local democracy has received a failing grade in the 2025 Global State of Democracy (GSoD) report, with the country ranked 85th globally and scoring particularly poorly in areas related to municipal governance and democratic representation.
According to the report by International IDEA, Fiji’s “Local Democracy” score was the lowest of all measured indicators, falling into the red zone, classified as low, and well below the regional average.
The finding aligns with growing domestic criticism over the continued absence of elected municipal councils.
While Fiji scored highly for “Inclusive Suffrage”, “Elected Government”, and “Civil Society”, its scores for “Effective Parliament”, “Credible Elections”, “Access to Justice”, and “Absence of Corruption” remained in the mid-range.
The country also ranked 67th for “Rights” and 51st for “Rule of Law”.
Fiji performed strongest in “Participation”, ranking 26th globally, boosted by high levels of civic engagement and civil society activity.
However, the low mark for “Local Democracy” stood out starkly, suggesting a disconnect between national-level governance and grassroots democratic engagement.
Legal reforms have been introduced, with Cabinet approving the Electoral (Local Government Elections) Regulations 2025 earlier this month. However, elections have yet to be scheduled.
The GSoD report is widely used by governments, civil society, and researchers to track democratic trends worldwide.
