One Third of Fiji's Population Lives in Poverty - Official Data

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2021) About a third of Fiji's population lives in poverty, according to the official data of the Fiji Bureau of Statistics 2019-2020 Household Income and Expenditure Survey revealed on Tuesday.

Out of the 864,132 people registered in the country, 258,053 people live in poverty, the data cited by the Fiji Times showed. Among them, 200,871 residents were from the Christian community, 41,042 were Hindus and 11,679 Muslims.

Nearly 200,000 of those living below the poverty line are the indigenous people of Fiji, while 58,933 are of Indian origin.

People living in poverty in Fiji are defined as those whose annual income is less than 2,179 Fijian Dollars (just over US $1,000) and cannot afford to buy basic food and necessities.

Among the poor, 160,450 people live in rural areas, and 97,602 people live in cities.

In terms of gender, men accounted for a larger part of those living below the poverty line at 143,060, compared to women at 123,992.

The opposition was surprised by the extent of the poverty crisis in the country even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fiji Village news portal said. The leader of the Fiji Labor Party, Mahendra Chaudhry, was reportedly concerned that 75% of the poor are indigenous Fijians.

About half of the country's population are Melanesians, while another half are of Indian origin, whose predecessors were brought by the British colonial rulers to work on plantations. Chaudhry said the deterioration of rural infrastructure and neglect for issues in the agricultural sector had a negative impact on the income of provincial residents, and criticized the government for focusing on tourism instead, according to the Fiji Village.