The water
Tap water is safe in Suva and Nadi; outer islands and villages rely on rain tanks — drink bottled there. Tap water: Varies.
Fiji
The Great Sea Reef (Cakaulevu), the world's third-longest continuous barrier reef, protected as the Ramsar site Qoliqoli Cokovata.
RegionOceaniaCurrencyFJDPowerType I, 230VTap waterVaries
Strong
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
Food made up about 19.5% of Fiji's merchandise imports in 2022 (World Bank), a moderate level for a Pacific state that still ships in rice and flour. Against this, subsistence and smallholder farming of root crops, along with…Read more
Food made up about 19.5% of Fiji's merchandise imports in 2022 (World Bank), a moderate level for a Pacific state that still ships in rice and flour. Against this, subsistence and smallholder farming of root crops, along with sugar cane and reef fishing, remain widespread. Domestic production covers much of the fresh diet even where staple grains are imported.
Local staples
Dalo (taro), cassava, breadfruit, yams, kumala, coconut and fish, plus Indo-Fijian dhal, roti and curries.
Markets
Municipal produce markets in Suva, Nadi and Lautoka, busiest on Saturdays.
In season
Root crops and tropical fruit year round; the sugar cane crushing season runs roughly June to December.
Wildlife
Fiji is home to species found nowhere else, including the Fiji banded iguana and Fiji crested iguana and endemic birds such as the many-coloured fruit dove. Reefs are exceptionally rich; the Great Sea Reef alone shelters…Read more
Fiji is home to species found nowhere else, including the Fiji banded iguana and Fiji crested iguana and endemic birds such as the many-coloured fruit dove. Reefs are exceptionally rich; the Great Sea Reef alone shelters endangered fish, green turtles and spinner dolphins. The World Bank, using IUCN data, records 119 threatened species, made up of 7 mammals, 14 birds, 20 fish and 78 higher plants (2018).
Found nowhere else
Fiji banded iguana, Fiji crested iguana and the many-coloured fruit dove, all found only in Fiji.
Natural phenomena
Cyclone season Nov–Apr; the dry season May–Oct is the sweet spot.
When to go
Dry season, cooler and drier with lower cyclone risk.
Getting around
Domestic flights and ferries link the islands, while buses, taxis and shared carriers serve Viti Levu's Coral Coast and towns.
Good to know
Cards in resorts, cash in villages; FJD. Kava ceremony etiquette matters.
Safety
Solo female travel: Easy. LGBTQ+: Mixed.
Only hereThe Great Sea Reef (Cakaulevu), the world's third-longest continuous barrier reef, protected as the Ramsar site Qoliqoli Cokovata.
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
72/100
Strong
The Eco Index: Fiji
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here The Great Sea Reef (Cakaulevu), the world's third-longest continuous barrier reef, protected as the Ramsar site Qoliqoli Cokovata.
- Forest cover
- 63.1%
- Land protected
- 3.9%
- Sea protected
- 0.9%
- Organic farmland
- 4.5%
- Threatened species
- 119
- Found nowhere else
- Fiji banded iguana, Fiji crested iguana and the many-coloured fruit dove, all found only in Fiji.
- Renewable power
- 60.1%
- CO2 per person
- 1.8t t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 6.1
- Cleanest air
- The outer islands and highland interior; national mean PM2.5 is about 6.1 micrograms per cubic metre.
- Water from
- Tap water is safe in Suva and Nadi; outer islands and villages rely on rain tanks — drink bottled there.
- Tap water
- Varies
- Safe drinking water
- 41.9%
- Cleanest water
- Highland rivers of the Viti Levu interior; the Yaqara Valley artesian aquifer supplies bottled Fiji Water.
- Springs
- Hot springs at Savusavu on Vanua Levu and the Sabeto mud pools near Nadi.
- Food imported
- 19.5%
- In season
- Root crops and tropical fruit year round; the sugar cane crushing season runs roughly June to December.
- Plastic ban
- Single-use plastic bags banned since 2020, with a levy from 2017.
- Watch out for
- Reef-damaging activities and coral, shell or turtle-product souvenirs, plus poorly run shark-feeding dives.
- Solo female travel
- Easy
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- Mixed
- Best months
- May to October
- Getting around
- Domestic flights and ferries link the islands, while buses, taxis and shared carriers serve Viti Levu's Coral Coast and towns.
- Power
- Type I, 230V
- Currency
- FJD
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 3/5 | Fiji's volcanic high islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, carry rivers fed by heavy rainfall, so raw freshwater is abundant on the main islands. Full assessmentAbout 95.5% of the population has at least basic drinking water, but only 41.9% has a safely managed, contamination-free supply (World Bank/JMP, 2022). Smaller islands and outer atolls depend on rainwater catchment that runs short in the dry season. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 4/5 | Food made up about 19.5% of Fiji's merchandise imports in 2022 (World Bank), a moderate level for a Pacific state that still ships in rice and flour. Full assessmentAgainst this, subsistence and smallholder farming of root crops, along with sugar cane and reef fishing, remain widespread. Domestic production covers much of the fresh diet even where staple grains are imported. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 4/5 | Traditional Fijian meals are built on root crops such as dalo (taro), cassava, breadfruit, yams and kumala, alongside coconut and tropical fruit. Full assessmentThe large Indo-Fijian community adds an everyday vegetarian layer of dhal, roti and vegetable curries. Plant-based eating is easy, though iTaukei cooking also leans heavily on fish and meat. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 4/5 | Certified organic land covered about 4.5% of Fiji's agricultural area, some 19,303 hectares, in 2020 (FiBL). Full assessmentThat share is high for the region and reflects organic coconut and other export certification. It sits in the strong band for a small island economy. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 2/5 | Formal protection is low, with terrestrial protected areas covering about 3.9% of land and marine protected areas about 0.9% of territorial waters (World Bank). Full assessmentThe stronger conservation story is customary, as most inshore fishing grounds are managed as qoliqoli by the clans that hold them. The Great Sea Reef was designated the Ramsar wetland Qoliqoli Cokovata in 2018, with community no-take zones running since 2005. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 3/5 | Fiji is home to species found nowhere else, including the Fiji banded iguana and Fiji crested iguana and endemic birds such as the many-coloured fruit dove. Full assessmentReefs are exceptionally rich; the Great Sea Reef alone shelters endangered fish, green turtles and spinner dolphins. The World Bank, using IUCN data, records 119 threatened species, made up of 7 mammals, 14 birds, 20 fish and 78 higher plants (2018). |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 3/5 | Masi, Fijian barkcloth beaten from paper-mulberry bark, is still made and remains central to ceremony and gift-giving. Full assessmentWomen weave mats from pandanus and voivoi, including the prized kuta mats of Bua on Vanua Levu, and make rope from coconut fibre. This is a living materials tradition rather than a museum craft. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 4/5 | Fiji banned single-use plastic bags in 2020, having introduced a levy in 2017. Full assessmentAir is very clean, with mean PM2.5 of about 6.1 micrograms per cubic metre in 2020 (World Bank), far below most of the world. Solid-waste handling and marine litter remain weak spots, especially around the main towns. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 2/5 | Fiji has no published national municipal recycling rate. Full assessmentRecycling is limited and largely informal, with PET, aluminium and scrap metal collected for export while most household waste goes to landfill or open dumps around the urban centres. The 2020 plastic-bag ban tackles litter at source rather than through kerbside recycling. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 4/5 | Fiji's fossil CO2 emissions are very low at about 1.8 tonnes per person in 2022, and it is a widely recognised climate leader that was the first nation to ratify the Paris Agreement and pre… Full assessmentided over the COP23 summit. Roughly half of its electricity comes from renewables, chiefly hydropower at the Monasavu scheme, with the remainder still supplied by imported diesel. Fiji targets 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and has legislated a net-zero pathway. Its very low emissions and strong policy are tempered by continuing diesel reliance, which holds it at 4. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 5/5 | About 86% of Fiji's land is held communally by iTaukei clans and cannot be sold, which keeps village life and customary authority intact. Full assessmentVisitors to a village present kava in the sevusevu ceremony, and the meke dance still carries oral history. Community-run and village-stay tourism means culture here is lived rather than staged. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 5/5 | Fiji sustains vigorous living iTaukei heritage alongside Indo-Fijian traditions. Full assessmentThe meke, a combined dance and chant accompanied by the lali drum, remains central to community life, and the yaqona or kava ceremony is a daily living ancestral practice. The vilavilairevo firewalking of Beqa Island continues as an ancestral ritual, and masi barkcloth making endures as a living craft. The vanua system of ancestral kinship and land still shapes everyday custom. |
Before you go
Cards in resorts, cash in villages; FJD. Kava ceremony etiquette matters.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, Fiji, 2022 (63.1%) — source
- World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, Fiji, 2024 (3.9%) — source
- World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, Fiji, 2023 (0.9%) — source
- World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, Fiji, 2021 (60.1%) — source
- World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, Safely managed drinking water (% of population) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, Fiji, 2022 (41.9%) — source
- World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, At least basic drinking water (% of population) SH.H2O.BASW.ZS, Fiji, 2022 (95.5%) — source
- World Bank, Food imports (% of merchandise imports) TM.VAL.FOOD.ZS.UN, Fiji, 2022 (19.5%) — source
- World Bank, PM2.5 air pollution mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic metre) EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, Fiji, 2020 (6.1) — source
- FiBL / IFOAM World of Organic Agriculture 2022 (2020 data), Fiji organic agricultural land 19,303 ha and 4.5% share, via Wikipedia Organic farming by country — source
- World Bank / IUCN Red List, threatened species by taxon, Fiji, 2018: mammals 7, birds 14, fish 20, higher plants 78 (total 119) — source
- Wikipedia, Tapa cloth (masi, Fijian barkcloth from paper mulberry) — source
- Wikipedia, Kava culture (yaqona and sevusevu in Fiji) — source
- Wikipedia, iTaukei (about 86% of land indigenously owned) — source
- Wikipedia, Culture of Fiji (pandanus and kuta mats, coconut-fibre rope, meke, lovo, root-crop diet) — source
- Wikipedia, Great Sea Reef / Cakaulevu (world's third-longest continuous barrier reef, Ramsar site Qoliqoli Cokovata 2018, community MPAs since 2005) — source
- Wikipedia, Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags (Fiji plastic-bag ban since 2020) — source
- Worldometer, Fiji CO2 emissions per capita, 2022. source
- Our World in Data, Fiji energy country profile. source
- Climate Change Tracker, Fiji greenhouse gas progress and recent impact. source
- Wikipedia, Vilavilairevo Beqa firewalking. source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Fiji sustains vigorous living iTaukei heritage alongside Indo-Fijian traditions. The meke, a combined dance and chant accompanied by the lali drum, remains central to community life, and the yaqona or kava ceremony is a daily living ancestral practice. The vilavilairevo firewalking of Beqa Island continues as an ancestral ritual, and masi barkcloth making endures as a living craft. The vanua system of ancestral kinship and land still shapes everyday custom.
- Meke dance and chant
- lali drum music
- yaqona (kava) ceremony
- vilavilairevo firewalking of Beqa
- masi barkcloth making
- magimagi coconut sennit and pandanus mat weaving
- iTaukei vanua ancestral custom.
Sleep well, tread lightly
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