Nearly half of all Fijians are now receiving remittances, with overseas financial support continuing to play a critical role in household incomes, according to the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s 2025 Fiji Financial Services Demand Side Survey.
The survey found 42 per cent of Fijians regularly receive remittances, while only 21 per cent send money to others.
The latest figures represent a significant increase from previous surveys, with the proportion of people receiving remittances rising from 23 per cent in 2014 and 34 per cent in 2020 to 42 per cent in 2025.
Women are more likely than men to receive remittances, while older Fijians aged 66 years and above and residents of the Eastern Division also report higher rates of receiving financial support.
The survey also highlights the importance of remittances in supporting household finances.
Among women who do not receive remittances, 39 per cent said their household income was insufficient to meet expenses, compared with 26 per cent of women who receive remittances.
The vast majority of remittances continue to come from overseas.
Among those receiving money, 82 per cent said the funds came from abroad, while 30 per cent also received remittances from within Fiji, mainly from relatives or friends in the Central and Western divisions.
The report notes that remittances from overseas have continued to grow over the past decade, while transfers within Fiji have gradually declined.
By contrast, almost all people who send remittances are supporting family or friends within Fiji.
The survey found 93 per cent of outgoing remittances are sent domestically, while only 4 per cent are transferred overseas.
Formal financial channels dominate the remittance market.
Among people receiving remittances, 94 per cent use formal services, with mobile phone transfers accounting for 72 per cent of transactions, followed by money transfer operators such as Western Union and MoneyGram at 23 per cent.
Similarly, 96 per cent of those sending remittances use formal channels, with 89 per cent relying on mobile phone transfers.
Only around one in ten people use informal methods such as sending cash or electronic transfers through relatives or acquaintances.
The findings underscore the growing role of digital financial services in Fiji, with mobile wallets becoming the preferred method for transferring money both domestically and internationally.
The survey suggests remittances remain an important source of financial support for thousands of households and continue to strengthen Fiji’s financial resilience, particularly for women, older people and families dependent on income from relatives living overseas.
