Country profiles:
Fiji is open to foreign trade, which represents 82% of the country’s GDP (World Bank, latest data available). Trade remains very much controlled by the government, and customs duties are relatively high, with an average applied tariff rate of around 16.6% (World Bank). Furthermore, non-tariff barriers - such as the restrictions on import licences, several different import taxes, and tax incentives offered to local exporters – contribute to hindering foreign trade. The country mainly exports water (12.8%), petroleum oils (10.6%), frozen fish (7.5%), and gold (7.2%); while imports are led by petroleum oils (14.9%), powered aircraft (7%), electrical apparatus (2.7%), and wheat and meslin (2.5% - Comtrade).
According to data by Comtrade, in 2021 Fiji’s major sources of imports were Singapore (17.1%), Australia (16.9%), China (15%), New Zealand (14.8%), and the U.S. (10.6%). The main destinations for exports were the U.S. (20.5%), Australia (16.5%), New Zealand (8.2%), Tonga (5.8%), and China (5.7%). Fiji has a number of free trade agreements and the government launched the National Export Strategy (NES) to increase the level of exports.
The country has a structural trade deficit that has been growing in recent years. In 2021, Fiji exported USD 815 million worth of merchandise against USD 2.1 billion in imports; while concerning services exports stood at USD 284 million vis-à-vis USD 509 million in imports (data WTO). Due to the fall in exports, the trade deficit widened to 27.3% of GDP in 2021 (from 16.7% one year earlier – according to the World Bank). According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2022, domestic exports stood at USD 1.3 billion (+9.8% year-on-year), whereas imports totalled almost USD 6.6 billion (+47.1% y-o-y).
Foreign Trade Indicators | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Imports of Goods (million USD) | 2,420 | 2,720 | 2,734 | 1,732 | 2,116 |
Exports of Goods (million USD) | 956 | 1,041 | 1,033 | 828 | 815 |
Imports of Services (million USD) | 637 | 719 | 778 | 480 | 509 |
Exports of Services (million USD) | 1,377 | 1,539 | 1,510 | 342 | 284 |
Trade Balance (million USD) | -1,092 | -1,359 | -1,388 | -660 | -947 |
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) | 97 | 103 | 107 | 72 | 82 |
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 51 | 55 | 59 | 44 | 55 |
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) | 46 | 48 | 48 | 28 | 27 |
Source: WTO – World Trade Organisation ; World Bank - Latest available data.
Main Customers (% of Exports) |
2022 |
---|---|
United States | 21.0% |
Australia | 10.5% |
Tonga | 6.8% |
New Zealand | 6.2% |
Samoa | 3.3% |
Japan | 3.2% |
Italy | 3.1% |
Vanuatu | 3.0% |
China | 2.9% |
American Samoa | 2.6% |
Kiribati | 2.4% |
Wallis and Futuna Isds | 2.1% |
Netherlands | 1.9% |
Tuvalu | 1.9% |
Cook Isds | 1.7% |
Papua New Guinea | 1.5% |
Vietnam | 1.4% |
Hong Kong SAR, China | 1.1% |
Solomon Isds | 1.1% |
Singapore | 0.9% |
See More Countries | 52.3% |
Main Suppliers (% of Imports) |
2022 |
---|---|
Singapore | 25.9% |
China | 15.7% |
Australia | 15.6% |
New Zealand | 13.5% |
Malaysia | 3.9% |
India | 3.2% |
Thailand | 3.0% |
United States | 2.9% |
Japan | 2.8% |
Indonesia | 2.0% |
Hong Kong SAR, China | 1.6% |
South Korea | 1.5% |
Vietnam | 1.2% |
France | 0.8% |
Italy | 0.5% |
Germany | 0.4% |
United Arab Emirates | 0.4% |
Canada | 0.3% |
United Kingdom | 0.3% |
Netherlands | 0.2% |
See More Countries | 25.5% |
Source: Comtrade, Latest Available Data
Source: Comtrade, Latest Available Data
To go further, check out our service Import Export Flows
1.6 bn USD of services exported in 2019 | |
---|---|
60.08% | |
Personal travelPersonal travel | 56.23% |
Business travelBusiness travel | 3.85% |
30.19% | |
6.39% | |
1.44% | |
1.06% | |
0.48% | |
0.31% | |
0.05% |
0.8 bn USD of services imported in 2019 | |
---|---|
50.37% | |
20.92% | |
Personal travelPersonal travel | 19.80% |
Business travelBusiness travel | 1.12% |
11.81% | |
6.77% | |
4.48% | |
2.30% | |
1.89% | |
0.80% | |
0.36% | |
0.30% |
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, Latest Available Data
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Latest Update: September 2023
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