68% of households report income increase - Bureau of Stats report

Household income increased this year for 68 percent of families, compared to 71 percent last year while it has been stated that 65 percent of families have been forced to change shopping habits by buying only essentials, smaller quantities, or cheaper items due to increased prices.

This has been highlighted in the Fiji Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Plus 2024–2025 – Wave 3 Snapshot report by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, in partnership with UNICEF, which states that 26 percent of the households reported a drop in income compared to last year.

According to the report, 31 percent of rural households, 33 percent of Indo-Fijian and 24 percent iTaukei households, and 36 percent of the poorest households were the hardest hit, with major reasons including reduced working hours and salary, low farming or fishing yields, and climate impacts.

The report states that food prices have risen sharply, with 89 percent of households noticing increases.

It says that while fresh food, basic food, and hygiene items are largely available in stores, essential medicines are much harder to access, with only 32 percent of households reporting consistent availability.

It says that to cope, 57 percent of the households cut down on other household expenses, 47 percent families are cutting down on food, 34 percent on health, and 31 percent education expenses while 41 percent are using savings, and others are borrowing money.

Despite these challenges, 46 percent of respondents remain hopeful that their household income will increase over the next year, though 27 percent are extremely worried about meeting their financial needs in the next month.