FIJI’S fertility rate has fallen to 2.27 children per woman, highlighting a major shift towards smaller families and slower population growth.
University of the South Pacific lecturer in Population and Demography Dr Sumeet Lal said Fiji had experienced a sustained decline in fertility over several decades.
“In the late 20th century, women in Fiji had an average of approximately 4 children,” Dr Lal said.
“By the early 2000s, fertility had fallen to around three children per woman, and by 2024 it had declined further to 2.27 children per woman, only slightly above replacement level.”
The decline has been accompanied by a sharp fall in the country’s birth rate.
Dr Lal said the crude birth rate had fallen from approximately 34 births per 1000 population in the late 20th century to about 24 per 1000 in the early 2000s and 18 per 1000 in 2024.
“As fewer children are born each year, the share of young people within the population naturally tends to decline.”
The impact is already visible in Fiji’s age structure.
About 47 per cent of the population was under 18 in 1980, compared with 32.7 per cent in 2023.
He said Fiji’s median age had also increased from 18.3 years in 1980 to 27.7 years in 2023.
“Today, Fiji continues to grow, but rather at a much more modest pace, with a population structure characterised by smaller family sizes, a rising median age, and a lower proportion of children than in previous generations.”
According to Mr Lal, Fiji’s annual population growth rate, which exceeded two per cent in the late 20th century, declined to around one per cent in the early 2000s and approximately 0.52 per cent by 2023.
