SI’s population hits 721,000, Mala & GP top count, Honiara fastest growing

The country’s population has now reached 721, 455 in the 2019 Provisional Count released this morning in Honiara, with Malaita, and Guadalcanal the most populated provinces whilst the Honiara City has now displaced Western Province in third place.

Ten years ago in 2009, the country’s population was 552,000 but it has ballooned to more than 700,000 in 2019.

In a detailed document released by the Census Office in the National Statistic Office, it says the latest provisional figure represents the absolute number of people residing in approximately 124,247 private households and 1,034 institutions.

It says the country’s population has increased to close to eight times the size in 1931, and over three times the size since independence in 1978.

The 2019 Census provisional count records an increase of 169, 930 people (30.8) since the last census ten years ago. This increase represents an average annual growth rate of 2.7% for the second period 2009-2019 or an increase of 17,000 people per year.

Meanwhile the national population growth has slowed down from 3% (1999-2009) to 2.7% (2009-2019) reflecting changes in the annual growths of provincial populations.

Here’s population by province

Malaita: 173, 347

Guadalcanal: 154, 150

Honiara: 130, 176

Western: 94, 209

Makira/Ulawa: 52, 006

Choiseul: 30, 619

Isabel: 30, 399

Central: 30, 329

Temotu: 22, 132

Renbel: 4,091