The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nauru fits inside the Solomon Islands 1,445 times.
Nauru: 20 km² (2023) · Solomon Islands: 28,900 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Solomon Islands’ coastline is 177 times as long as Nauru’s.
Nauru: 30 km (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 5,313 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Solomon Islands’ highest peak towers 2,265 m above Nauru’s.
Nauru: 70 m (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Solomon Islands has 70 times as many people as Nauru.
Nauru: 12,025 (2025) · Solomon Islands: 838,645 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nauru is 20 times as densely populated as the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 601 per km² (2025) · Solomon Islands: 30 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nauru are 6.5 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 169.6 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 163.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Nauru are 1.0 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 157.8 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 156.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Nauru is 0.18 years older than in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 20.4 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Solomon Islands have 0.2 more children on average than in Nauru.
Nauru: 3.29 children per woman (2024) · Solomon Islands: 3.51 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.7% of people in the Solomon Islands are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Nauru.
Nauru: 3% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 3.7% (2025)
How many official languages?
Nauru has 2 official languages, the Solomon Islands 1.
Nauru: 2 (2026) · Solomon Islands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Solomon Islands’ economy is 9.9 times the size of Nauru’s.
Nauru: $176 million (2025) · Solomon Islands: $1.75 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Nauru produces 5.1 times as much per person as the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: Int$14,201 (2025) · Solomon Islands: Int$2,788 (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Nauru: no data · Solomon Islands: 1.4% (2025)
How expensive is it?
Nauru’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the Solomon Islands’.
Nauru: 103% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 75% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Nauru spends 21 times as much on health per person as the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: $2,292 (2023) · Solomon Islands: $111 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Solomon Islands live 8.4 years longer than in Nauru.
Nauru: 62.3 years (2024) · Solomon Islands: 70.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Solomon Islands is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Nauru.
Nauru: 7.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Solomon Islands: 16.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Nauru has 5.3 times as many doctors per person as the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 1.3 per 1,000 (2015) · Solomon Islands: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
71% of adults in Nauru are obese, versus 21% in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 71.4% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 20.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
38% of adults in the Solomon Islands smoke, versus 35% in Nauru.
Nauru: 34.8% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 38.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Nauru: no data · Solomon Islands: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Nauru has 7 times as much meat per person as the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 109.2 kg (2023) · Solomon Islands: 15.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Nauru has 917 kcal more food per person per day than the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 3,082 kcal (2023) · Solomon Islands: 2,166 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Nauru went to school 3.6 years longer than in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 9.4 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 5.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Nauru: no data · Solomon Islands: 0.04 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
83% of people in Nauru are online, versus 29% in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 83% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 29% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Nauru have electricity, versus 82% in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 100% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 81.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Nauru live in cities, versus 31% in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 100% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 31% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Nauru has 87 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Solomon Islands 62.
Nauru: 87 (2022) · Solomon Islands: 62 (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Nauru fly 17 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 3.25 (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 0.0% of Nauru.
Nauru: 0% (2023) · Solomon Islands: 90.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Nauru emits 14 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 5.1 t (2024) · Solomon Islands: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
20% of Nauru’s electricity is renewable, versus 9.1% in the Solomon Islands.
Nauru: 20% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 9.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Solomon Islands carries 84% more fine dust than in Nauru.
Nauru: 3.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Solomon Islands: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Solomon Islands are 40% deadlier than in Nauru.
Nauru: 8 per 100k (2021) · Solomon Islands: 11.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nauru: no data · Solomon Islands: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nauru: no data · Solomon Islands: 4,245 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nauru bigger than the Solomon Islands?
The Solomon Islands is larger. Nauru fits inside the Solomon Islands 1,445 times.
Which has more people, Nauru or the Solomon Islands?
The Solomon Islands has 70 times as many people as Nauru (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nauru or the Solomon Islands?
People in the Solomon Islands live 8.4 years longer than in Nauru. Life expectancy at birth is 62.3 years in Nauru and 70.7 in the Solomon Islands.
Are people taller in Nauru or the Solomon Islands?
Men in Nauru are 6.5 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).