Religious life in Solomon Islands is organised through local churches, congregations, denominational offices, faith-based organisations and cooperative bodies rather than one national religious authority. The 2019 census recorded 720,956 people: Church of Melanesia 232,041, Roman Catholic Church 144,078, South Sea Evangelical Church 124,506, Seventh-day Adventist Church 83,452, United Church 66,915, Christian Fellowship Church 16,179 and Jehovah's Witnesses 14,624. It also recorded 39,161 people under other religions, including Custom Beliefs or Animism, the Baha'i Faith, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, while 1,227 reported no religion or faith or atheism. No more recent official national religious distribution is locally verified in the available research. Churches provide worship, prayer, teaching, evangelism, fellowship, pastoral care and community service. Access normally begins through a local congregation or church office. Church of Melanesia, the Roman Catholic Church, United Church, South Sea Evangelical Church and Seventh-day Adventist Church are among the established communities identified in the national framework. The Solomon Islands Christian Association, known as SICA, and the Solomon Islands Full Gospel Association, known as SIFGA, support cooperation and dialogue between churches. The Melanesian Brotherhood, also called Tasiu, is a recognised local religious term. Pijin is widely useful for communication, while English is the official language and local languages remain relevant to particular communities. Section 11 of the Constitution protects freedom of conscience, thought, religion and belief, including the freedom to change belief and to worship, teach, practise, observe and propagate religion in public or private. Religious communities may establish and maintain their own schools and provide religious instruction. A person cannot be required to attend religious instruction or a ceremony of a religion they do not follow. For a child under 18, a guardian's consent applies to participation in religious instruction or observance. Section 15 protects against discrimination based on creed, subject to lawful limits related to public safety, public order, public morality, public health or the rights of others. The High Court provides a way to seek constitutional redress under section 18. Church education providers and schools operate within the education system regulated by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development under the Education Act 2023, which has applied since 1 January 2024. Registered schools may receive government grants or subsidies, but no religion-specific national fee schedule is verified. Participation and exemption arrangements for religious instruction or ceremonies can therefore depend on the school and the relevant religious provider while remaining subject to constitutional protections. Christian observance also appears in the national public holiday calendar. The 2026 dates listed under the Public Holidays Act are Good Friday on 3 April, Holy Saturday on 4 April, Easter Monday on 6 April, Whit Monday on 25 May, Christmas Day on 25 December and National Day of Thanksgiving on 26 December. Other public holidays may be national or provincial matters rather than religion-specific arrangements. The Ministry of Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs, especially its Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs Division, works with churches and other stakeholders on peacebuilding, reconciliation, psychosocial healing and community welfare. The government has worked with SICA and SIFGA under the Strategic Partnership Framework 2021-2025. This does not create a single national clergy system or a central religious registration authority. Local practice and availability vary by denomination, island, province and urban or rural setting, and remote areas can involve greater travel and time costs. Worship is commonly supported through donations or free-will offerings rather than a national tariff. Religious ministers and communities also have roles in life events. Under the Islanders' Marriage Act, a marriage can follow a church pathway involving a registered minister of religion or a District Registrar. Church notice generally must be given for at least three weeks, remains valid for up to three months, and the ceremony requires at least two witnesses. A church ceremony takes place between 6:00 and 18:30, and the minister sends the certificate to the registrar within one month or at the first opportunity. Custom marriage can be voluntarily registered with the District Registrar. The legal minimum marriage age is 15, and a person under 18 requires written parental or guardian consent. The listed fees are $2 for notice, $2 for a certified copy and $2 for an extract. Religious funerals and burials are organised locally, with no single national religious rite verified.
Religion in Solomon Islands
Religion in Solomon Islands is predominantly Christian, but the country has several major denominations, smaller religious communities and people who follow custom beliefs or no religion. The 2019 census recorded the Church of Melanesia as the largest affiliation at 32.2%, followed by the Roman Catholic Church at 20%, the South Sea Evangelical Church at 17.3% and the Seventh-day Adventist Church at 11.6%. The Constitution protects freedom of conscience, belief, worship, teaching, practice and religious observance.
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