SUVA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's population is expected to remain below 1 million for at least the next decade, Fiji Bureau of Statistics Chief Executive Kemueli Naiqama said on Thursday.
Naiqama said several demographic and social factors were contributing to the slower population growth, including declining fertility rates, rising mortality linked to non-communicable diseases and most especially, migration, the Fiji Times reported.
"previous years we had on an annual average around 20,000 babies born in a year. Now it has reduced to 18,000 to 17,000," he said.
Projections suggested that Fiji's population will not reach the 1 million mark until 2035.
He also said that economic stability would be key in retaining citizens in the country. ■
