Fiji has been identified as the most advanced country in the Pacific for digital government development, but significant gaps in access and service availability threaten to limit the benefits of that lead, the World Bank says. The bank’s GovTech Maturity Index places Fiji ahead of its Pacific peers, noting strong foundational connectivity — mobile penetration exceeds 100 percent and roughly 88 percent of the population uses the internet — alongside persistent shortcomings in how public services are delivered.
The World Bank report highlights a striking disconnect between connectivity and uptake. Survey data show just 17 percent of households accessed government services online, while 83 percent continued to rely on in-person visits. The index team observed that many Fijians still queue at banks to receive government payments and frequently take time off work or make repeated phone calls to resolve administrative issues, underscoring that having internet access does not automatically translate into convenient, digital-first service delivery.
Over the past six years the government has rolled out a range of e-services — online birth registration, business registration, utility payments and tax services among them — and digital payments have surged, with mobile and internet banking transactions rising sharply and mobile money use expanding rapidly. Despite these advances, the World Bank says limited online availability of specific services remains the main reason households do not use digital channels, rather than lack of devices or raw connectivity alone.
The report also flags a persistent urban–rural divide. Rural households are markedly less likely to access or use online services, a pattern the bank links to lower levels of education and digital literacy as well as weaker network infrastructure outside urban centres. To close that gap the World Bank recommends expanding the range of services available online, improving rural connectivity, and investing in public awareness and digital skills programs so citizens can use digital services effectively.
A planned national digital ID system is expected to play a central role in improving access, the World Bank notes, by simplifying authentication and reducing barriers to transaction-based services. The development of such an ID comes as Fiji has already been strengthening its digital governance framework: government agencies have advanced a National Digital Strategy, and officials have pushed cybersecurity and data protection measures in recent months, with Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad previously stressing that cybersecurity must be integral to all digital initiatives.
The World Bank concludes that with targeted investments and policy reforms Fiji can consolidate its regional lead and shape a more inclusive digital government. The new assessment reframes Fiji not only as a Pacific frontrunner on connectivity metrics but also as a case where the next phase of progress depends on shifting from infrastructure and pilot services to widespread availability, accessibility and trust — particularly for rural communities and digitally marginalised groups.
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