Tuvalu is one of the smallest and most isolated countries in the world. With a population of some 11,000 people living on 26 square kilometers, Tuvalu is more than 3,000 kilometers away from its nearest major external market (New Zealand). The country faces tremendous challenges stemming from...

KEY ISSUES Context. Macroeconomic performance has generally exceeded expectations. Real GDP grew 7.3 percent for 2013, up from 6.3 percent in 2012. Inflation declined to below 5 percent, and the external current account balance has improved. Private credit growth has been slow, however, a number...

KEY ISSUES Recent Developments and Outlook. Solomon Islands held its parliamentary elections on November 19, 2014 and elected a new government led by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, representing the Democratic Coalition for Change. The country’s Gold Ridge mine, its only gold mine, remains...

This 2017 Article IV Consultation highlights that Fiji's economy is recovering well after Tropical Cyclone Winston and is expected to record its eighth consecutive year of expansion in 2017. Growth is expected to pick up to about 4 percent in 2017, underpinned by reconstruction activities, a...

KEY ISSUES Context. With GDP growth below trend and the investment phase of the mining boom having passed its peak and beginning to decline, a key issue is how Australia can manage the mining-production/export phase and encourage broader-based growth. The main external risks include a slowdown...

KEY ISSUES Outlook and risks. The macroeconomic outlook is favorable. Growth has firmed, inflation has eased, and unemployment has remained low—trends that are expected to continue. The main risks relate to the impact of the Fed’s tapering, the outlook for the Mainland, and a possible...

KEY ISSUES Recent Developments. After four years of consecutive growth, the unprecedented floods that hit Honiara in early April 2014 have undermined economic activity. The flash floods caused loss of life and widespread damage to key infrastructure, water and sanitation systems, housing, and...

KEY ISSUES Kiribati’s key economic challenges are to reduce large structural fiscal imbalances and increase growth and employment opportunities, while facing obstacles posed by remoteness, lack of scale, vulnerabilities to external shocks and climate change. The significant fiscal...

KEY ISSUES Context: Solomon Islands has achieved considerable gains in development and macroeconomic stability in recent years. However, the country is at an important juncture—with both security and development assistance being scaled down by donors, it needs to become more self-reliant. In...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country