Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands are a fragile, post-conflict small island state and the poorest in the Pacific when measured in terms of Gross Domestic Product per capita. Most of the population is dispersed across rural areas of the archipelago, where they largely depend on subsistence agriculture. This caps food poverty rates, but exposes the population to environmental shocks. Poverty rates are higher in urban areas, where traditional safety nets are weaker and unemployment rates are high. Solomon Islands is expected to be one of the most effected Pacific economies from COVID-19. Travel restrictions, and demand shocks, particularly to logging, are predicted to lead to considerable reductions in GDP growth and tax revenue for the country (World Bank, 2020).