Fiji recorded more than 50,000 deaths between 2018 and 2023, with numbers steadily increasing over the period, according to a new report released by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics and Pacific Community.
The report, Making Death Count – Fiji: Assessment of the Quality of Cause of Death Data (2018–2023), shows a total of 50,683 deaths over six years, rising from 7,690 in 2018 to 9,117 in 2023 — a 19 per cent increase.
It noted that while the rise reflects a real increase in deaths, improvements in reporting systems may also have contributed.
The data shows that male deaths consistently outnumbered female deaths each year, with 27,273 male deaths recorded compared to 23,410 female deaths.
Despite the increase, the report highlighted improvements in data quality, with errors in coding causes of death significantly reduced.
Invalid coding dropped to minimal levels over the period, while inconsistencies in age and sex-related causes of death accounted for just 0.05 per cent of records.
The report also found a sharp decline in “ill-defined” causes of death — from about 2 per cent annually to zero in 2022 and 2023.
“This indicates substantial improvements in the quality of medical certification and mortality coding practices,” the report states.
However, 764 deaths were still classified under unclear causes, with most linked to unspecified foetal deaths and cardiac arrest.
The findings are expected to support better health planning and policy decisions in Fiji.
