Felix Chaudhary 
The Fiji National Provident Fund paid out close to $139 million over the past two fiscal years to Fijians migrating abroad.
According to the Westpac Quarterly Update for January 2025, the FNPF disbursed $75.3 million in migration payouts in the 2022-2023 financial year and $63.6m in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Westpac said between 2016 and 2019, FNPF was paying, on average, $27m annually towards Fiji citizens migrating and $8 million annually to non-resident departures.
The financial institution said not only has migration reshaped Fiji’s labour force, but it has taken funds from the superannuation coffers.
However, Westpac said the burden on FNPF in terms of the additional payouts is expected to drop in line with easing migration numbers.
In 2024, 2,197 Fijians permanently migrated abroad in 2024, with over half (50.5%) emigrating to New Zealand.
Historically, New Zealand has been the top destination for Fijians looking for a new permanent home.
The second top destination for emigration, at 24.8 percent, was the United States of America, followed by 21.5 percent of Fijians who migrated to Australia.
