Determining the country in the South Pacific most similar to South Asia requires considering various social, cultural, economic, and political factors. One way to answer this complex question is by analyzing the data from the Country Similarity Index. The index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries, using a variety of statistics from five broad categories: demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
According to the Index, Fiji is the most similar country in the South Pacific region to South Asia. In contrast, Samoa has the least amount of traits in common with South Asia.
(South Asian countries are defined as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Pakistan could be considered as either Middle Eastern or South Asian, but is included as well)
In terms of demographics and culture, Fiji has some more traits in common with South Asia than other countries in the South Pacific region.
Demographics
The presence of a significant Indian population in Fiji can be traced back to the recruitment of indentured laborers by the British during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The recruitment of Indian laborers was primarily driven by the need for cheap and abundant labor to work on sugarcane plantations in Fiji. The ships brought laborers from different regions of South Asia. Over time, the descendants of these indentured laborers have become an integral part of Fiji’s population. In fact over 35% of people in the country have South Asian ancestry.
Culture
Over the generations, Indo-Fijians have preserved many aspects of their cultural heritage. This includes traditions, languages, religious practices, and culinary preferences. As a result, Hinduism is practiced by over 25% of people in Fiji and Diwali is a public holiday. Islam is another prominent religion among the Indo-Fijian population at over 5%. Fiji Hindi, a variant of Hindi that developed among the descendants of indentured laborers, is spoken among most people of South Asian ancestry and even some indigenous Fijians.
The Most Similar South Asian Country to Fiji
The Country Similarity Index suggests that Sri Lanka is the most similar country in the South Asia region to Fiji. Both countries are located on tropical islands, although Sri Lanka is in the Indian Ocean. They are also quite mountainous as well. Furthermore, English is widely used in both countries, serving as an official language alongside other languages.
