One in three Fijian households do not earn enough to meet their regular expenses, while fewer than one in four people believe they are on track to achieve their financial goals, according to the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s 2025 Fiji Financial Services Demand Side Survey.
The survey paints a sobering picture of household finances, showing that 33 per cent of households have incomes that fall short of their regular expenditure, while 46 per cent said their income was only enough to cover day-to-day expenses.
Only 18 per cent of households reported earning more than they spent.
The financial pressures were most pronounced in the Western Division, where 49 per cent of households said their income was insufficient to meet expenses, compared with 21 per cent in the Central Division.
Despite these challenges, 39 per cent of Fijians said they were always satisfied with their financial situation.
The survey also found that 55 per cent of adults said they set long-term financial goals and actively worked towards achieving them.
However, only 24 per cent considered themselves on track to reach those goals, while 52 per cent said they were making some progress.
Around one in five respondents admitted they had lost track of their financial goals because of competing financial commitments.
The report also highlighted the limited financial resilience of many households.
If they were to lose their main source of income, 61 per cent of respondents said they could survive for one month or less, including 28 per cent who could manage for only one week or less.
Only 10 per cent believed they could meet their living expenses for six months or longer without their primary income.
When running short of money, the most common response was to cut household spending, followed by using savings or seeking help from family and friends.
In the event of an unexpected financial emergency, 47 per cent said they would borrow from family or friends, while 44 per cent would rely on their personal savings.
Older people, people living with disabilities and those excluded from formal financial services were more likely to depend on relatives and friends for financial support than on savings.
The survey also found that fewer than half of Fijians seek financial advice, with those who do most commonly turning to household members, relatives or friends for guidance.
The findings suggest that while financial inclusion has improved significantly in Fiji, many households continue to face financial pressure, limited savings and little capacity to withstand unexpected economic shocks.
