Average Defense Officer Salary in Fiji for 2026
A defense officer in Fiji earns about 60,180 FJD a year. That's 5% roughly in line with the national average of 57,320 FJD.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Fiji sit around 29,540 FJD a year, while the very top stretches to 95,420 FJD. Everything on this page is in Fijian dollar (FJD, symbol $), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Fiji, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a defense officer make in Fiji?
A typical defense officer working in Fiji brings home around 5,015 FJD a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 29,540 FJD, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 95,420 FJD for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior defense officer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How defense officer pay ranges in Fiji
A good way to think about salary in Fiji is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all defense officers in Fiji earn less than 66,580 FJD a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 43,480 FJD (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 86,420 FJD (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of defense officers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 29,540 FJD. The highest stretch to 95,420 FJD, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Defense officer pay by experience in Fiji
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a defense officer in Fiji, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical defense officer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years31,960 FJD
- 2-5 Years+32% from previous42,320 FJD
- 5-10 Years+46% from previous61,780 FJD
- 10-15 Years+21% from previous74,560 FJD
- 15-20 Years+12% from previous83,400 FJD
- 20+ Years+5% from previous87,940 FJD
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 46%. That is the point at which a defense officer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Defense officer pay by education in Fiji
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving defense officer pay in Fiji. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average defense officer salary in Fiji broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School35,000 FJD
- Certificate or Diploma+64% from previous57,320 FJD
- Bachelor's Degree+64% from previous93,880 FJD
Defense officer gender pay gap in Fiji
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Fiji is no exception. Male defense officers in Fiji earn an average of 64,300 FJD a year, while female defense officers earn around 56,460 FJD. That works out to a 14% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Defense Officer gender pay gap
12%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Fiji.
Pay raises for a defense officer in Fiji
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Fiji sees a raise of about 9% every 28 months, which works out to roughly 4% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Fiji, the national average raise is around 5% every 28 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Fiji:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Defense officer bonus rates in Fiji
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
16% of defense officers in Fiji reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a defense officer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 84% of defense officers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Fiji
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Defense officer: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Fiji is about 25% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
20%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Fiji on average.
Defense officer salary by city in Fiji
Defense officer pay is not even across Fiji. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Suva
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suva | City | 65,080 FJD | 61,620 FJD | 34,280-100,140 FJD |
Defense Officer in Fiji: FAQs
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How much does a defense officer make per month in Fiji?
A defense officer in Fiji earns about 5,015 FJD a month before tax, based on an annual average of 60,180 FJD.
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What's the salary range for a defense officer in Fiji?
Entry-level defense officers in Fiji start near 29,540 FJD. Top-end pay reaches around 95,420 FJD. The middle 50% of earners sit between 43,480 and 86,420 FJD.
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Is the median defense officer salary in Fiji higher or lower than the average?
The median is 66,580 FJD, higher than the average of 60,180 FJD. Half of defense officers in Fiji earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for defense officers in Fiji?
Men working as a defense officer in Fiji earn around 14% more than women on average (64,300 vs 56,460 FJD a year).
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Do defense officers in Fiji get bonuses?
About 16% of defense officers in Fiji reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do defense officers earn more in the public or private sector in Fiji?
In Fiji, the public sector pays a defense officer about 25% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do defense officers in Fiji get a pay raise?
A defense officer in Fiji sees a raise of around 9% every 28 months, equivalent to roughly 4% a year.