India and Fiji Relations and their Strategic Importance

India and Fiji share strong historical, cultural, and economic ties, with cooperation in trade, education, healthcare, and climate resilience strengthening their bilateral relations.

Context: India and Fiji agreed to deepen defence ties and cooperation during Fijian PM Sitiveni Rabuka’s official visit, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

About Fiji

Location: An island country in the South Pacific Ocean, part of Melanesia.
Capital: Suva, located on the island of Viti Levu.
Major Islands: Comprised of over 300 islands, of which about 100 are inhabited; the two largest are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.
Population: Around 2 lakh (920,000) people (approx.).
Ethnic Composition: Multi-ethnic society – mainly iTaukei (indigenous Fijians) and Indo-Fijians (descendants of Indian indentured labourers).
Language: English (official), with Fijian and Fiji Hindi also widely spoken.
Religion: Predominantly Christianity, followed by Hinduism and Islam.
Government: Parliamentary democracy; current Prime Minister (2025) is Sitiveni Rabuka.

Economy

Key sectors: Tourism, sugar, gold mining, fisheries, garment industry.
Tourism is the largest foreign exchange earner.

Strategic Importance

Situated in the Indo-Pacific region, often seen as a hub in the South Pacific.
Member of international groupings like the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Commonwealth, and the United Nations.

India–Fiji Connection

Strong historical links due to the large Indian diaspora (over 35% of Fiji’s population).
India engages with Fiji in areas of capacity building, defence, healthcare, education, and diaspora ties.