Determining the country in the South Pacific region most similar to Latin America 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.
The data shows that Fiji is the most similar country in the South Pacific region to Latin America. On the other end of the spectrum, Papua New Guinea is the least similar.
(Latin American countries defined as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela)
Infrastructure is the biggest reason why Fiji has a lot in common with Latin American countries. They also share some similarities in their demographics as well.
Demographics
Fiji has the highest median age in South Asia at over 27 years old, so it is closer to Latin American nations than others in the region. Furthermore, people from Fiji tend to be more educated than most countries in the South Pacific, since it has higher literacy rates and years of mean schooling. This is part of the reason why the country is the wealthiest in the region.
Infrastructure
Fiji has the most vehicles per capita of countries in the South Pacific region. It also has the best water quality and the highest percentage of people with basic sanitation in the region. It also uses the most electricity per capita. These factors make Fiji more like Latin America than other nations in the South Pacific.
The Most Similar Latin American Country to Fiji
The Country Similarity Index suggests that Panama is the most similar Latin American country to Fiji. Both countries have economies with a significant emphasis on services, particularly tourism. Panama and Fiji also serve as important transportation hubs due to their strategic geographic locations. Panama is a key international trade route with the Panama Canal, while Fiji is situated in the South Pacific, making it a gateway for maritime traffic in that region. In addition, both countries have many sugarcane farms.
