Fiji To Spend $4.8 Billion Despite Growing Budget Deficit

The small Pacific island is spending big on its population of just 933,000 people, adding to a deficit that is already $886 million.

Fiji Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Biman Chand Prasad speaks during the resumed High-Level Segment on day eight at the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 19, 2024. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad has revealed the small Pacific nation will spend FJ$4.8 billion (US$2 billion) in this year’s budget.

It means each of its approximately 933,000 citizens gets around $5,145—almost the same as the Australian federal budget allocates to each of its citizens.