The population of Fiji (2001 estimate) is 844,330, giving the nation an overall population density of 46 persons per sq km (119 per sq mi). About 20 % of the people live in Suva (population, 2000, 77,366). The second and third largest urban areas are Lautoka (36,083) and Nadi (9,170), also located on Viti Levu. Some 58 % of Fiji’s population is rural, with most people living in fishing or farming villages of less than 600 people.

The indigenous Fijian people are usually classified as Melanesian, they are larger in stature than Melanesians from Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, or New Guinea; their social and political organization is closer to that of Polynesia; and there has been a high level of intermarriage between Fijians from the Lau Islands of eastern Fiji and the neighbouring Polynesian islands of Tonga. Almost all indigenous Fijians are Christian, mostly Methodist and Roman Catholic Since World War II, indigenous Fijians have been outnumbered by Indians, most of whom are descendants of indentured labourers brought to work in the sugar industry. A few, particularly in commerce and the professions, are descended from free migrants. Most of the Indians are Hindus,though a remarkable number are Muslims.

Some Indo-Fijians have been displaced by the expiration of land leases in cane-producing areas and have moved into urban centers in pursuit of jobs. Similarly, a number of indigenous Fijians have moved into urban areas, particularly Suva, in search of a better life. Meanwhile, the Indo-Fijian population has declined due to emigration and a declining birth rate. Indo-Fijians currently constitute 40% of the total population, down from over 50% in the 1940s. Indo-Fijians dominate the professions and commerce.