The country is running out of burial space.

Major cemeteries in Suva, Lautoka, and Labasa are expected to reach full capacity within the next 10 to 15 years.

The Fiji Corrections Service states that the shortage of land for burials has become a national concern especially as urban areas expand and landowners hesitate to release new plots for cemeteries.

Deputy Commissioner Auta Moceisuva told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights that the high number of daily burials averaging 10 to 12 is rapidly exhausting existing sites particularly Nasinu and Suva.

He said the government has allocated $2.5 million for excavation work at Nasinu but the space will likely be depleted within 15 years.

Moceisuva said talks with the iTaukei Land Trust Board and the Ministry of Lands are ongoing to identify new sites, though landowners in urban centres were reluctant to lease property for burial purposes.

He adds that the reluctance stems from concerns that cemeteries lower land value in prime areas such as Balawa.

He also noted that cremation could help ease the pressure, but social and religious beliefs remain a barrier to wider acceptance.

While Hindu communities have long used cremation, Moceisuva stated that more Fijians are beginning to consider it as burial space runs out.

The Burial and Cremation Amendment Bill 2025 seeks to modernise burial laws dating back to 1911 by addressing land scarcity, cultural shifts and operational challenges.

Standing Committee Chair Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure states that the Bill aims to ensure burials only take place in licensed cemeteries to improve management and planning.

The Fiji Corrections Service maintains that without new land or wider adoption of cremation, Fiji could face a burial crisis within two decades.

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