The duel
- 3.9× The Solomon Islands fits inside the median country 3.9 times
- 8.8× The median country has 8.8 times as many people as the Solomon Islands
- +3.9 years People in the median country live 3.9 years longer than in the Solomon Islands
- 7.6× The median country produces 7.6 times as much per person as the Solomon Islands
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Solomon Islands fits inside the median country 3.9 times
Solomon Islands: 28,446 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Solomon Islands’ coastline is 12 times as long as the median country’s
Solomon Islands: 5,313 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Solomon Islands and the median country are practically level
Solomon Islands: 2,335 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of the median country, versus 4.1% of the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 4.1% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 8.8 times as many people as the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 838,645 (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 3.3 times as densely populated as the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 30 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 10.4 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 163.1 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 3.8 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 156.8 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 11 years older than in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 20.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Solomon Islands have 1.6 more children on average than in the median country
Solomon Islands: 3.51 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.7% in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 3.7% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Solomon Islands: 0 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Solomon Islands and the median country are practically level
Solomon Islands: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 26 times the size of the Solomon Islands’
Solomon Islands: $1.75 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 7.6 times as much per person as the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: Int$2,788 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 1.4% in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 1.4% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Solomon Islands’ central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, the median country’s 17%
Solomon Islands: 23.3% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Solomon Islands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.6× the median country’s
Solomon Islands: 75% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 4.2 times as much on health per person as the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: $111 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 3.9 years longer than in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 70.7 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Solomon Islands is 30% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country
Solomon Islands: 16.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 7 times as many doctors per person as the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Solomon Islands is 42% higher than in the median country
Solomon Islands: 14.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 21% in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 20.9% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
38% of adults in the Solomon Islands smoke, versus 19% in the median country
Solomon Islands: 38.4% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 7.4 times as much alcohol as in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 0.6 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 3.6 times as much meat per person as the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 15.6 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 772 kcal more food per person per day than the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 2,166 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 4.1 years longer than in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 5.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 8.7 times as many tourists per resident as the Solomon Islands (2019)
Solomon Islands: 0.04 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The median country has 2 more World Heritage sites than the Solomon Islands (3 against 1)
Solomon Islands: 1 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, the Solomon Islands none
Solomon Islands: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 29% in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 29% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 82% faster than in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 89 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 82% in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 81.5% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 31% in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 31% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Solomon Islands 62
Solomon Islands: 62 (2022) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 27% more passengers per resident than those from the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 0.19 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 90% of the Solomon Islands, but only 33% of the median country
Solomon Islands: 89.8% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 8.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 0.4 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 9.1% in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 9.1% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Solomon Islands: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 41% deadlier than in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: 13.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Solomon Islands is on average 3.6 °C warmer than the median country
Solomon Islands: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Solomon Islands gets 4.2 times as much rain as the median country
Solomon Islands: 4,245 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Solomon Islands bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The Solomon Islands fits inside the median country 3.9 times.
Which has more people, the Solomon Islands or the median country?
The median country has 8.8 times as many people as the Solomon Islands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Solomon Islands or the median country?
People in the median country live 3.9 years longer than in the Solomon Islands. Life expectancy at birth is 70.7 years in the Solomon Islands and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the Solomon Islands or the median country?
Men in the median country are 10.4 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).