The duel
- 157× The Marshall Islands fits inside the Solomon Islands 157 times
- 23× The Solomon Islands has 23 times as many people as the Marshall Islands
- +3.6 years People in the Solomon Islands live 3.6 years longer than in the Marshall Islands
- 3.2× The Marshall Islands produces 3.2 times as much per person as the Solomon Islands
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Marshall Islands fits inside the Solomon Islands 157 times
Marshall Islands: 181 km² (2024) · Solomon Islands: 28,446 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Solomon Islands’ coastline is 14 times as long as the Marshall Islands’
Marshall Islands: 370 km (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 5,313 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Solomon Islands’ highest peak towers 2,321 m above the Marshall Islands’
Marshall Islands: 14 m (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 40% of the Marshall Islands, versus 4.1% of the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 40.2% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 4.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Solomon Islands has 23 times as many people as the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 36,282 (2025) · Solomon Islands: 838,645 (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Marshall Islands is 6.7 times as densely populated as the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 200 per km² (2025) · Solomon Islands: 30 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Marshall Islands are 2.2 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 165.3 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 163.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Solomon Islands are 2.0 cm taller than in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 154.8 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 156.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Marshall Islands is 0.45 years older than in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 20.7 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Solomon Islands have 0.6 more children on average than in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 2.86 children per woman (2024) · Solomon Islands: 3.51 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.9% of people in the Marshall Islands are 65 or older, versus 3.7% in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 4.9% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 3.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 0 per 1,000 (2024)
How many official languages?
The Marshall Islands has 2 official languages, the Solomon Islands 1
Marshall Islands: 2 (2026) · Solomon Islands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Solomon Islands’ economy is 5.7 times the size of the Marshall Islands’
Marshall Islands: $308 million (2025) · Solomon Islands: $1.75 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Marshall Islands produces 3.2 times as much per person as the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: Int$8,964 (2025) · Solomon Islands: Int$2,788 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Marshall Islands: 35.5 (2019) · Solomon Islands: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Marshall Islands: 2.1% (2019) · Solomon Islands: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 1.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Solomon Islands’ central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, the Marshall Islands’ 17%
Marshall Islands: 17.2% (2020) · Solomon Islands: 23.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Marshall Islands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the Solomon Islands’
Marshall Islands: 95% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 75% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Marshall Islands spends 8 times as much on health per person as the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: $894 (2023) · Solomon Islands: $111 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Solomon Islands live 3.6 years longer than in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 67.1 years (2024) · Solomon Islands: 70.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Marshall Islands is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 22.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Solomon Islands: 16.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 14.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
41% of adults in the Marshall Islands are obese, versus 21% in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 41.2% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 20.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
38% of adults in the Solomon Islands smoke, versus 30% in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 29.9% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 38.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Marshall Islands drink 19% more alcohol than in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 0.7 litres (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Marshall Islands has 8 times as much meat per person as the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 125.6 kg (2023) · Solomon Islands: 15.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Marshall Islands has 1,155 kcal more food per person per day than the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 3,321 kcal (2023) · Solomon Islands: 2,166 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Marshall Islands went to school 5.8 years longer than in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 11.6 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 5.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Marshall Islands welcomed 3.5 times as many tourists per resident as the Solomon Islands (2019)
Marshall Islands: 0.14 (2019) · Solomon Islands: 0.04 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands are practically level
Marshall Islands: 1 (2026) · Solomon Islands: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands are practically level
Marshall Islands: 0 (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
66% of people in the Marshall Islands are online, versus 29% in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 66% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 29% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 89 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
97% of people in the Marshall Islands have electricity, versus 82% in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 97.2% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 81.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in the Marshall Islands live in cities, versus 31% in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 79% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 31% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Solomon Islands has 62 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Marshall Islands 40
Marshall Islands: 40 (2022) · Solomon Islands: 62 (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Marshall Islands fly 4.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 0.81 (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.19 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 90% of the Solomon Islands, but only 54% of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 53.6% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 89.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Marshall Islands emits 11 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Solomon Islands
Marshall Islands: 4.1 t (2024) · Solomon Islands: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 9.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Solomon Islands carries 2.5 times as much fine dust as in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 2.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Solomon Islands: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 13.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Marshall Islands: no data · Solomon Islands: 4,245 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the Marshall Islands bigger than the Solomon Islands?
The Solomon Islands is larger. The Marshall Islands fits inside the Solomon Islands 157 times.
Which has more people, the Marshall Islands or the Solomon Islands?
The Solomon Islands has 23 times as many people as the Marshall Islands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Marshall Islands or the Solomon Islands?
People in the Solomon Islands live 3.6 years longer than in the Marshall Islands. Life expectancy at birth is 67.1 years in the Marshall Islands and 70.7 in the Solomon Islands.
Are people taller in the Marshall Islands or the Solomon Islands?
Men in the Marshall Islands are 2.2 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).