{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "<p>Settlers from Papua arrived on Solomon Islands around 30,000 years ago. About 6,000 years ago, Austronesian settlers came to Solomon Islands and the two groups mixed extensively. Despite significant inter-island trade, no attempts were made to unite the islands into a single political entity. In 1568, Spanish explorer Alvaro de MENDANA became the first European to spot the islands. After a failed Spanish attempt at creating a permanent European settlement on the islands in the late 1500s, Solomon Islands remained free of European contact until 1767 when British explorer Philip CARTERET sailed by the islands. The islands were regularly visited by European explorers and American and British whaling ships into the 1800s, followed by missionaries in the 1850s.<br><br>Germany declared a protectorate over the northern Solomon Islands in 1885, and the UK established a protectorate over the southern islands in 1893. In 1899, Germany transferred its Solomon Islands to the UK in exchange for the UK relinquishing all claims in Samoa. The UK tried to encourage plantation farming, but few Europeans were willing to go to Solomon Islands and the UK left most services - such as education and medical services - to missionaries. In 1942, Japan invaded Solomon Islands and significant battles against Allied forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign proved a turning point in the Pacific war. World War II destroyed large parts of Solomon Islands and a nationalism movement emerged near the end of the war. By 1960, the British relented to allow for some local autonomy. The islands were granted self-government in 1976 and independence two years later under Prime Minister Sir Peter KENILOREA.<br><br>In 1999, longstanding ethnic tensions between ethnic Guale in Honiara and ethnic Malaitans in Honiara’s suburbs erupted in civil war, leading thousands of Malaitans to take refuge in Honiara and Guale to flee the city. In 2000, newly-elected Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE focused on peace agreements and distributing resources equally among groups, but his actions bankrupted the government in 2001 and led to SOGAVARE’s ouster. In 2003, Solomon Islands requested international assistance to reestablish law and order. The Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, which ended in 2017, was generally effective in improving the security situation. In 2006, riots broke out in Honiara and the city’s Chinatown burned over allegations that the prime minister took money from China. SOGAVARE was reelected prime minister for a fourth time following elections in 2019 and that same year announced Solomon Islands would switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. In late November 2021, protestors, mostly from the island of Malaita, calling for SOGAVARE’s removal and more development in Malaita, sparked rioting in Honiara. </p>"
    }
  },
  "Geography": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "8 00 S, 159 00 E"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Oceania"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total": {
        "text": "28,896 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "27,986 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "910 sq km"
      }
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "slightly smaller than Maryland"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "total": {
        "text": "0 km"
      }
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "5,313 km"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "territorial sea": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      },
      "exclusive economic zone": {
        "text": "200 nm"
      },
      "continental shelf": {
        "text": "200 nm"
      },
      "note": "measured from claimed archipelagic baselines"
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "highest point": {
        "text": "Mount Popomanaseu 2,335 m"
      },
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Pacific Ocean 0 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "3.9% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 2.9% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 0.3% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "78.9% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "17.2% (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "0 sq km (2022)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "most of the population lives along the coastal regions; about one in five live in urban areas, and of these some two-thirds reside in Honiara, the largest town and chief port"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "<p>tropical cyclones, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis</p><p><strong>volcanism:</strong> Tinakula (851 m) has frequent eruption activity, while an eruption of Savo (485 m) could affect the capital Honiara on nearby Guadalcanal</p>"
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; Rennell Island, the southernmost in the Solomon Islands chain, is one of the world&rsquo;s largest raised coral atolls; the island&rsquo;s Lake Tegano, formerly a lagoon on the atoll, is the largest lake in the insular Pacific (15,500 hectares)"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Population": {
      "text": "714,766 (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Solomon Islander(s)"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Solomon Islander"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "Melanesian 95.3%, Polynesian 3.1%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 0.3% (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "text": "Melanesian pidgin (in much of the country is lingua franca), English (official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population), 120 indigenous languages"
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "Protestant 73.4% (Church of Melanesia 31.9%, South Sea Evangelical 17.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 11.7%, United Church 10.1%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.5%), Roman Catholic 19.6%, other Christian 2.9%, other 4%, unspecified 0.1% (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Age structure": {
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "31.06% (male 114,104/female 107,900)"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "63.82% (male 233,501/female 222,640)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "5.12% (2023 est.) (male 17,238/female 19,383)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "74.8"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "68.8"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "6"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "16.5 (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "23.5 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "23.2 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "23.7 years (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "1.69% (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "22.34 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "3.95 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-1.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "most of the population lives along the coastal regions; about one in five live in urban areas, and of these some two-thirds reside in Honiara, the largest town and chief port"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "26% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "82,000 HONIARA (capital) (2018)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.06 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.89 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Mother's mean age at first birth": {
      "text": "22.6 years (2015 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29"
    },
    "Maternal mortality ratio": {
      "text": "122 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "19.53 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "23.3 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "15.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "76.96 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "74.32 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "79.73 years (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "2.82 children born/woman (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Gross reproduction rate": {
      "text": "1.38 (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Contraceptive prevalence rate": {
      "text": "29.3% (2015)"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 95% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 65.9% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 73.1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 5% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 34.1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 26.9% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Current health expenditure": {
      "text": "4.4% of GDP (2020)"
    },
    "Physicians density": {
      "text": "0.19 physicians/1,000 population (2016)"
    },
    "Hospital bed density": {
      "text": "1.4 beds/1,000 population (2012)"
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 95.6% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 22.6% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 40.6% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 4.4% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 77.4% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 59.4% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "22.5% (2016)"
    },
    "Alcohol consumption per capita": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "beer": {
        "text": "1.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "wine": {
        "text": "0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "spirits": {
        "text": "0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "other alcohols": {
        "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Tobacco use": {
      "total": {
        "text": "36.5% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "53.8% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "19.2% (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": {
      "text": "16.2% (2015)"
    },
    "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": {
      "text": "64.1% (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "12.8% of GDP (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Literacy": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "NA"
      }
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1.9%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "1.6%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "2.3% (2021 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Environment": {
    "Environment - current issues": {
      "text": "deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying, exhibiting the effects of climate change and rising sea levels"
    },
    "Environment - international agreements": {
      "party to": {
        "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling"
      },
      "signed, but not ratified": {
        "text": "Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical monsoon; few temperature and weather extremes"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "3.9% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 0.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 2.9% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 0.3% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "78.9% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "17.2% (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "26% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "3.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Revenue from forest resources": {
      "text": "20.27% of GDP (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Revenue from coal": {
      "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Air pollutants": {
      "particulate matter emissions": {
        "text": "10.67 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)"
      },
      "carbon dioxide emissions": {
        "text": "0.17 megatons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "methane emissions": {
        "text": "0.43 megatons (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Waste and recycling": {
      "municipal solid waste generated annually": {
        "text": "179,972 tons (2013 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total renewable water resources": {
      "text": "44.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "none"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "Solomon Islands"
      },
      "local long form": {
        "text": "none"
      },
      "local short form": {
        "text": "Solomon Islands"
      },
      "former": {
        "text": "British Solomon Islands"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "Spanish explorer Alvaro de MENDANA named the isles in 1568 after the wealthy biblical King SOLOMON in the mistaken belief that the islands contained great riches"
      }
    },
    "Government type": {
      "text": "parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Honiara"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "9 26 S, 159 57 E"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "the name derives from \"nagho ni ara,\" which in one of the Guadalcanal languages roughly translates as \"facing the eastern wind\""
      }
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "9 provinces and 1 city*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira and Ulawa, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western"
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "7 July 1978 (from the UK)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "Independence Day, 7 July (1978)"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "history": {
        "text": "adopted 31 May 1978, effective 7 July 1978; note - in late 2017, provincial leaders agreed to adopt a new federal constitution; progress has been stalled, but as of February 2023, the draft constitution was with the Constitutional Review Unit in the prime minister's office&nbsp;"
      },
      "amendments": {
        "text": "proposed by the National Parliament; passage of constitutional sections, including those on fundamental rights and freedoms, the legal system, Parliament, alteration of the constitution and the ombudsman, requires three-fourths majority vote by Parliament and assent of the governor general; passage of other amendments requires two-thirds majority vote and assent of the governor general; amended several times, last in 2018"
      }
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "mixed legal system of English common law and customary law"
    },
    "International law organization participation": {
      "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt"
    },
    "Citizenship": {
      "citizenship by birth": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "citizenship by descent only": {
        "text": "at least one parent must be a citizen of the Solomon Islands"
      },
      "dual citizenship recognized": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "residency requirement for naturalization": {
        "text": "7 years"
      }
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "21 years of age; universal"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General David VUNAGI (since 8 July 2019)"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE (since 24 April 2019)"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister"
      },
      "elections/appointments": {
        "text": "the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the National Parliament for up to 5 years (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the National Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among members of the National Parliament"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "Manasseh SOGAVARE elected prime minister on 24 April 2019"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "description": {
        "text": "unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)"
      },
      "elections": {
        "text": "last held on 3 April 2019 (next to be held in April 2023)"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "percent of vote by party - UDP 10.7%, DAP 7.8%, PAP 4.4%, independent 56.3%, other 20.8%; seats by party - DAP 7, UDP 5, PAP 3, KPSI 1, SIPFP 1, SIPRA 1, independent 32; composition - men 46, women 4, percent of women 8%"
      }
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest court(s)": {
        "text": "Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and ex officio members including the High Court chief justice and its puisne judges); High Court (consists of the chief justice and puisne judges, as prescribed by the National Parliament)"
      },
      "judge selection and term of office": {
        "text": "Court of Appeal and High Court president, chief justices, and puisne judges appointed by the governor general upon recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, chaired by the chief justice and includes 5 members, mostly judicial officials and legal professionals; all judges serve until retirement at age 60"
      },
      "subordinate courts": {
        "text": "Magistrates' Courts; Customary Land Appeal Court; local courts"
      }
    },
    "Political parties and leaders": {
      "text": "Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Steve ABANA]<br>Kadere Party of Solomon Islands or KPSI [Peter BOYERS]<br>People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Nathaniel WAENA]<br>Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Manasseh MAELANGA]<br>Solomon Islands People First Party or SIPFP [Dr. Jimmie RODGERS]<br>United Democratic Party or UDP [Sir Thomas Ko CHAN]",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions"
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, EITI (candidate country), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador Jane Mugafalu Kabui WAETARA (since 16 September 2022)"
      },
      "chancery": {
        "text": "685 Third Avenue, 11th Floor, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10017"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (212) 599-6192"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (212) 661-8925"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>simun@solomons.com"
      }
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "embassy": {
        "text": "the US does not have an embassy in the Solomon Islands; the US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands"
      }
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green; blue represents the ocean, green the land, and yellow sunshine; the five stars stand for the five main island groups of the Solomon Islands"
    },
    "National symbol(s)": {
      "text": "national colors: blue, yellow, green, white"
    },
    "National anthem": {
      "name": {
        "text": "\"God Save Our Solomon Islands\""
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "Panapasa BALEKANA and Matila BALEKANA/Panapasa BALEKANA"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> adopted 1978"
    },
    "National heritage": {
      "total World Heritage Sites": {
        "text": "1 (natural)"
      },
      "selected World Heritage Site locales": {
        "text": "East Rennell"
      }
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economic overview": {
      "text": "lower middle-income Pacific island economy; natural resource rich; primarily subsistence agriculture and fishing; land rights conflicts; fairly low public debt; underdeveloped financial sector; large, state-owned enterprise presence"
    },
    "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": {
        "text": "$1.703 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": {
        "text": "$1.707 billion (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": {
        "text": "$1.766 billion (2019 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars"
    },
    "Real GDP growth rate": {
      "Real GDP growth rate 2021": {
        "text": "-0.2% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2020": {
        "text": "-3.38% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2019": {
        "text": "1.75% (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Real GDP per capita": {
      "Real GDP per capita 2021": {
        "text": "$2,400 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2020": {
        "text": "$2,500 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2019": {
        "text": "$2,600 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars"
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$1.298 billion (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021": {
        "text": "-0.12% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020": {
        "text": "2.96% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": {
        "text": "1.63% (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Credit ratings": {
      "Moody's rating": {
        "text": "B3 (2015)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note: </strong>The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained."
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "34.3% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "7.6% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "58.1% (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "25.8% (2011 est.)"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-49.6% (2011 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Agricultural products": {
      "text": "oil palm fruit, sweet potatoes, coconuts, taro, yams, fruit, pulses, vegetables, cocoa, cassava"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "fish (tuna), mining, timber"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "-3.84% (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "366,000 (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force - by occupation": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "75%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "5%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "20% (2000 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "Unemployment rate 2021": {
        "text": "1.03% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2020": {
        "text": "0.92% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2019": {
        "text": "0.75% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "note": "NA"
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1.9%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "1.6%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "2.3% (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "12.7% (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": {
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2013": {
        "text": "37.1 (2013 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "NA"
      }
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "$514 million (2019 est.)"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "$537 million (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": {
      "text": "-2.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "Public debt 2020": {
        "text": "11.46% of GDP (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Public debt 2019": {
        "text": "7.74% of GDP (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Public debt 2018": {
        "text": "7.69% of GDP (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "21.05% (of GDP) (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Fiscal year": {
      "text": "calendar year"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "Current account balance 2021": {
        "text": "-$78.192 million (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2020": {
        "text": "-$25.06 million (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2019": {
        "text": "-$153.998 million (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exports": {
      "Exports 2021": {
        "text": "$413.657 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars"
      },
      "Exports 2020": {
        "text": "$428.834 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars"
      },
      "Exports 2019": {
        "text": "$591.293 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars"
      }
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "China 65%, Italy 9%, India 6% (2019)"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "lumber, fish, aluminum, palm oil, cocoa beans (2019)"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "Imports 2021": {
        "text": "$619.46 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars"
      },
      "Imports 2020": {
        "text": "$556.26 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars"
      },
      "Imports 2019": {
        "text": "$752.909 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars"
      }
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "China 24%, Australia 13%, South Korea 12%, Singapore 12%, Malaysia 10% (2019)"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "refined petroleum, fish, insulated wiring, broadcasting equipment, excavation machinery (2019)"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2021": {
        "text": "$694.515 million (31 December 2021 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2020": {
        "text": "$660.996 million (31 December 2020 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2019": {
        "text": "$571.632 million (31 December 2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "Debt - external 31 December 2017": {
        "text": "$757 million (31 December 2017 est.)"
      },
      "Debt - external 31 December 2016": {
        "text": "$643 million (31 December 2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "Currency": {
        "text": "Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar -"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2021": {
        "text": "8.03 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2020": {
        "text": "8.213 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2019": {
        "text": "8.173 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2018": {
        "text": "7.953 (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2017": {
        "text": "7.887 (2017 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity access": {
      "electrification - total population": {
        "text": "66.7% (2018)"
      },
      "electrification - urban areas": {
        "text": "76.7% (2018)"
      },
      "electrification - rural areas": {
        "text": "63.5% (2018)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity": {
      "installed generating capacity": {
        "text": "40,000 kW (2020 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "93.527 million kWh (2019 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "0 kWh (2020 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "0 kWh (2020 est.)"
      },
      "transmission/distribution losses": {
        "text": "14 million kWh (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity generation sources": {
      "fossil fuels": {
        "text": "94.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "nuclear": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "solar": {
        "text": "2.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "wind": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "hydroelectricity": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "tide and wave": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "geothermal": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "biomass and waste": {
        "text": "2.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Coal": {
      "production": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2020 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2020 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2020 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2020 est.)"
      },
      "proven reserves": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Petroleum": {
      "total petroleum production": {
        "text": "0 bbl/day (2021 est.)"
      },
      "refined petroleum consumption": {
        "text": "2,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)"
      },
      "crude oil and lease condensate exports": {
        "text": "0 bbl/day (2018 est.)"
      },
      "crude oil and lease condensate imports": {
        "text": "0 bbl/day (2018 est.)"
      },
      "crude oil estimated reserves": {
        "text": "0 barrels (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - production": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - exports": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - imports": {
      "text": "1,577 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas": {
      "production": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      },
      "proven reserves": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions": {
      "total emissions": {
        "text": "333,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "from coal and metallurgical coke": {
        "text": "0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "from petroleum and other liquids": {
        "text": "333,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "from consumed natural gas": {
        "text": "0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Energy consumption per capita": {
      "Total energy consumption per capita 2019": {
        "text": "6.955 million Btu/person (2019 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "7,000 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "(2021 est.) less than 1"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "470,000 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "67 (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telecommunication systems": {
      "general assessment": {
        "text": "mobile services have continually expanded in the Solomon Islands; 3G services became available in 2010, leading to an increase in mobile broadband uptake; Solomon Islands currently host three ISPs; fixed broadband services are largely limited to government, corporations, and educational organizations in the Solomon Islands; telecommunication infrastructure in the Solomon Islands requires significant investment due to the geographical make-up of the islands; this presents a great challenge to rural connectivity in the country; although various international organizations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have taken a special interest in having communication services improved in both the Solomon Islands and the Pacific region in general, internet and broadband penetration remain low; the provision of broadband infrastructure, particularly to rural areas, is also hindered by land disputes; internet services have, improved with the build-out of the Coral Sea Cable System linking Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands, as also with a connecting cable to a landing station at Sydney; the Australian government provided most of the funding for the Coral Sea Cable System, with contributions and support from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea governments; the launch of the Kacific-1 satellite in late 2019 also improved broadband satellite capacity for the region, though for telcos in Solomon Islands satellite services are now largely used as backup for international traffic; in recent years, the country has stabilized both politically and economically and this, along with improvements to mobile infrastructure, has led to a rise in mobile services and the slow uptake of broadband services; while the first LTE services were launched in late 2017 in the capital Honiara, the main platform for mobile voice and data services remains 3G, while in outlying areas GSM is still an important technology for the provision of services (2022)"
      },
      "domestic": {
        "text": "fixed-line is less than 1 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular telephone density 67 per 100 persons (2021)"
      },
      "international": {
        "text": "country code - 677; landing points for the CSCS and ICNS2 submarine cables providing connectivity from Solomon Islands, to PNG, Vanuatu and Australia; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)"
      }
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) does not broadcast television; multi-channel pay-TV is available; SIBC operates 2 national radio stations and 2 provincial stations; there are 2 local commercial radio stations; Radio Australia is available via satellite feed (since 2009) (2019)"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".sb"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "total": {
        "text": "255,600 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "36% (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1,000 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "0.2 (2020 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "National air transport system": {
      "number of registered air carriers": {
        "text": "1 (2020)"
      },
      "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": {
        "text": "6"
      },
      "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": {
        "text": "427,806 (2018)"
      },
      "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": {
        "text": "3.84 million (2018) mt-km"
      }
    },
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "H4"
    },
    "Airports": {
      "text": "36 (2021)"
    },
    "Airports - with paved runways": {
      "text": "1",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)"
    },
    "Airports - with unpaved runways": {
      "text": "35",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control"
    },
    "Heliports": {
      "text": "3 (2021)"
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1,390 km (2011)"
      },
      "paved": {
        "text": "34 km (2011)"
      },
      "unpaved": {
        "text": "1,356 km (2011)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> includes 920 km of private plantation roads"
    },
    "Merchant marine": {
      "total": {
        "text": "27"
      },
      "by type": {
        "text": "general cargo 9, oil tanker 1, other 17 (2022)"
      }
    },
    "Ports and terminals": {
      "major seaport(s)": {
        "text": "Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru Harbor, Tulagi"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military and security forces": {
      "text": "no regular military forces; the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force is responsible for internal and external security and reports to the Ministry of Police, National Security, and Correctional Services (2023)"
    },
    "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": {
      "text": "China and Australia have provided equipment to the Solomons Islands Police Force; the maritime branch operates patrol boats provided by Australia (2022)"
    },
    "Military - note": {
      "text": "Australia and New Zealand provide material and training assistance to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (2023)"
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Disputes - international": {
      "text": "<p>from 2003 to 2017, at the request of the Solomon Islands Governor-General, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), consisting of police, military, and civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, assisted in reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order while reinforcing regional stability and security</p>"
    }
  }
}