SUVA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Over the past decade, Fiji's public debt has nearly tripled, rising from approximately 4 billion Fijian dollars (about 1.77 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016 to nearly 12 billion Fijian dollars (some 5.31 billion USD), according to Minister for Finance, Commerce and Business Development Esrom Immanuel.
Immanuel revealed in his 2026-2027 budget address on Saturday that the Fijian government now spends about 9 million Fijian dollars (around 3.98 million USD) every day to run the public service, reported The Fiji Times on Sunday.
According to the minister, the public sector now employs more than 42,000 people, an increase of more than 10,000 employees over the past decade.
Immanuel said the rapid growth in public spending had been driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, cyclone, infrastructure development, expanded social assistance, higher public sector wages and ongoing global economic shocks.
He called for urgent action to address Fiji's fiscal imbalance and place the country's finances on a more sustainable path. ■
