Eleven Pacific Island countries are members of the World Bank and have a combined population of about 2.3 million people, scattered across an area equivalent to 15% of the globe’s surface.
欧美日b大片’s Pacific Island member countries have a combined population of about 2.3 million people, spread over an area equivalent to 15% of the earth’s surface.
There is great diversity across the Pacific Islands region, from Fiji, which is the largest country of the group (excluding Papua New Guinea) with a population of over 900,000, to Tuvalu and Nauru, with estimated populations of approximately 12,000 each, making them the World Bank Group’s smallest members by population. Kiribati is one of the most remote and geographically dispersed countries in the world, consisting of 33 coral atolls spread over 3.5 million square kilometers of ocean – an area larger than India.
Pacific Island countries have substantial natural resources and extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity. However, they are physically remote, have small populations spread across many islands, and are some of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.
As the region recovers from the sharp economic contraction due to the pandemic, many Pacific countries are facing challenges in reinvigorating growth. They remain extremely vulnerable to climate, health, and economic shocks that are driving supply chain shortages and inflation impacts that are stifling growth and creating new development challenges.
Last Updated: Apr 09, 2024
Working in partnership across the region, the World Bank is currently supporting 94 active projects in 12 Pacific Island countries including Papua New Guinea, totaling US$2.84 billion in commitments through a combination of IBRD and 欧美日b大片 financing, trust funds, and co-financing.
Download , the guide to the World Bank’s work across the Pacific. It includes a map of our work across the Pacific, as well as program break-downs by country.
(888 kb PDF file)
欧美日b大片’s work in Fiji and along with Papua New Guinea is guided by individual country strategies and supported by sub-regional hub offices in Suva for the South Pacific countries of Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu, and Pohnpei, for the North Pacific countries of Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau.
欧美日b大片’s support to the Pacific has rapidly increased over the past decade with a 50% increase in staff across the Pacific region and a seven-fold increase in World Bank-supported projects since 2014. This work has been driven by significant increases in support through both the and the International Bank for Reconstruction & Development (IBRD).
欧美日b大片’s work in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea is also supported by the Australian and New Zealand governments, through the PNG and the Pacific Islands Umbrella Facility (PPIUF), which will be in place until at least 2031. It supports World Bank projects across the Pacific through a commitment of AUD109 million (approx. US$72m) from the Australian Government (DFAT) and NZ$33 million (approx. US$20m) from the New Zealand Government (MFAT). These commitments are expected to grow to a combined estimated US$200 million by 2031 as projects grow.
The , endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders, is a strong Pacific-led development strategy for the region, and the World Bank will be supporting the region in translating the Strategy into action. It informs the Bank’s actions in the Pacific, deepening the growing partnership between the World Bank and the Pacific, and leading to direct results for Pacific people.
Focus sectors
In , where almost 70% of the population are employed in agriculture, the World Bank is working with farmers and fishers to improve livestock, farming, and fishing practices.
Digital development is vital for connecting people, especially in geographically dispersed Pacific Island countries. Through the Pacific Regional Connectivity Program, the Pacific is being connected to faster, cheaper, and more reliable internet, including to outer islands. World Bank support is also strengthening the digital regulatory environment and helping governments deliver digital services.
Access to employment and jobs is critical in many Pacific countries due to high population growth and high unemployment. The Skills and Employment for Tongans Project is supporting the Tongan government to implement a cash transfer program to incentivize families to keep their children in secondary school. In Solomon Islands, the Community Access and Urban Services Enhancement Project is providing job training, employment opportunities, and short-term income for nearly 20,000 people, while building essential community infrastructure.
In the energy sector, the World Bank is working with the governments of the and to make electricity supplies more reliable and efficient, and to scale up renewable energy generation. This includes the major in Solomon Islands as well as .
The sustainable management of the environment and natural resources across the Pacific is vital to the region’s future. The Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program is helping Pacific countries and the regional to coordinate sustainable management of tuna fisheries, ensuring that they can sustainably manage their coastal fisheries and critical habitats while maximizing economic returns.
In health, the World Bank is supporting Pacific countries with improved systems for analysis, budgeting, management, and monitoring of health services, with a particular focus on strengthening primary health care. Support to Marshall Islands includes investments in maternal and child health, as well as early childhood stimulation and preschool services. The is improving access to health care in rural areas. And in Solomon Islands, World Bank support is improving medical transport systems to ensure there are more boats and vehicles to get people where they need. Similar support in Fiji is helping improve digital connectivity between doctors, nurses, and health centers.
Pacific Island countries are at the forefront of climate change and disasters, and projects across the region are helping to strengthen countries’ fiscal, social, and physical resilience. The , for example, is helping Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu to build early warning systems, strengthen disaster policies and community resilience, and obtain quick access to finance after a disaster.
A dedicated aviation program has delivered major reconstruction works to airports and runways in , , , , , and helping to make air travel safer and more efficient across the Pacific. In addition, the World Bank is also helping Fiji to boost tourismopportunities and infrastructure in Vanua Levu, the country’s second largest island, while boosting maritime transport in Fiji through the .
And through Budget Support and Development Policy Operations, Pacific countries are benefiting from global expertise in supporting their economic reform programs that have provided immediate cash disbursements in the event of an emergency, be it climate, health, or natural disaster, as well as helping to drive important reforms to support Pacific countries’ efforts to build more fiscal and economic resilience.
Finally, through analytical reports the World Bank is helping to lay the foundations for Pacific governments to make more informed policy decisions. These include Public Expenditure Reviews, Country Economic Memorandums, Country Private Sector Development Reports and Poverty Assessments, as well as the twice-yearly Pacific Economic Update.
To support regional disaster resilience, the World Bank, through the , has provided extensive disaster response training for government staff and supported the construction of two new Emergency Operations Centers in Tonga. These centers were critical to the immediate response to the January 2022 volcano and tsunami while keeping remote locations in contact with the government and communicating the most critical support needed.
In Digital development, thePacific Regional Connectivity Project is reducing the cost and increasing the availability of information and communication technology services needed to support social and economic development in the Pacific. Fiber-optic cables have been connected in , , , Tonga and helping to deliver significant improvements in service quality and cost. In Tonga, for example, the first phase of this work increased broadband access from 2% of the population in 2010 to 64% in 2021 and reduced the average retail cost of broadband internet by 97%.
Energy projects are having a considerable impact in the Pacific with a delivering 2,400 new electricity connections to low-income families, as well as community infrastructure and microenterprises in both urban and rural areas. In addition, the in Solomon Islands, will reduce the country’s near-total reliance on imported fuel. Solomon Islands has some of the highest electricity costs in the world, which is a major roadblock to growth and poverty reduction.
In Solomon Islands, nearly 20,000 Solomon Islanders have undertaken over one million days of work and training through the Community Access and Urban Services Enhancement Project(CAUSE), and its predecessor, the Rapid Employment Project. CAUSE has expanded from the capital, Honiara to other major towns including Auki, Gizo, Noro, and Munda with participants supported through job training, employment opportunities, and short-term income for work to build essential community infrastructure.
Read about how we’re partnering with Pacific Island governments to support development.
欧美日b大片 provides free and open access to a comprehensive set of data about development in countries around the globe, including Pacific Island countries.
Have you wondered what the World Bank does with its money? Explore open data about World Bank's financing
World Bank Statement: Update on Fiji 2019-2020 Household Income and Expenditure Survey
This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser. To learn more about cookies, click here.
