FIJI has the highest rate of urbanisation (rural to urban migration) than most Pacific island countries.
This according to a report “Migration in the Republic of Fiji: A Country Profile 2020” which states that in Fiji, what was formerly temporary migration from rural areas and small islands to cities for work, has increasingly become permanent over the past 50 years.
“Circular migration or alternating migration of family members to and from cities remains common and internal migration may take place in steps from small islands to larger ones, from remote interiors to coastal areas, and from villages first to towns then cities,” the report said.
Another development has been the increasing share of women taking part in internal migration, partly because of economic and social changes that have led to greater participation of women in the labour force.
“Data from Fiji’s 2017 Population and Housing Census showed that nearly one in three people over the age of five had changed residence within Fiji at some point in their lives (251,895).”
Provinces with the highest share of internal “outmigration” were Rotuma and Lau, where two-thirds of people born there were in other provinces at the time of the 2017 census –– mainly in Naitasiri and Rewa.
“Half of the people born in Kadavu and Lomaiviti were outside these provinces at the time of enumeration, again mainly in Naitasiri and Rewa.”
Ba was the province with the smallest share leaving with just 14 per cent of people born there living in different provinces at the time of enumeration.
