placestats

Last European coloniser: Multiple European rulers · Largest religious group: Christians. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.

Vanuatu

Against lower middle income countries, Vanuatu ranks 1st of 45 on governance and 41st of 47 on infrastructure. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare Vanuatu with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.

How it has changed

Every measure Vanuatu reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.

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Scores by area

Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.

ScoreValueRank, all countriesRank, similar incomeMostly income?
Governance score 2025+0.8946 of 1791 of 45moderate +0.53
Health score 2024-0.25137 of 19332 of 47moderate +0.32
Education score 2023+0.20139 of 19917 of 46proxy +0.81
Equality score 2019+0.0896 of 16518 of 44high +0.64
Infrastructure score 2023-0.04181 of 21041 of 47proxy +0.90
Gender score 2025+0.11125 of 18627 of 46moderate +0.37
Environment score 2024-0.41152 of 21337 of 47moderate -0.33
Labour score 2025-0.49163 of 19534 of 47high +0.79

The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.

The measures behind them

Every measure reported for Vanuatu, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.

crime

Conflict deaths0per 100,000 people2025higher is worse
Armed conflict present01 if any conflict, else 02025higher is worse
Homicide rate0.335per 100,000 population2020higher is worse

culture

Religiously unaffiliated1.37%% of population2020no agreed direction
Christian share83.5%% of population2020no agreed direction
Muslim share0.0193%% of population2020no agreed direction
Women in a union68.6%% of women aged 15-492020no agreed direction

demography

Median age20.1years2023no agreed direction
Age at childbearing28.1years2023no agreed direction
Population335,169people2025no agreed direction
Population growth2.23%% per year2025no agreed direction
Urbanization22.3%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 65+4.38%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 0-1438%% of population2025no agreed direction
Fertility rate3.57births per woman2024no agreed direction
Birth rate27.7per 1,000 people2024no agreed direction
Net migration-52people2025no agreed direction
Migrant share of population1%% of population2024no agreed direction

economy

HDI0.621index, 0 to 12023higher is better
Inequality-adjusted HDI0.521index, 0 to 12023higher is better
GDP per capita (PPP)$3,867international $2025higher is better
GNI per capita (PPP)$3,910international $2024higher is better
GDP per capita (market)$3,249US$2025higher is better
GDP growth3.05%% per year2025no agreed direction
Inflation0.656%% per year2025no agreed direction
Trade openness73.4%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
FDI inflows2.22%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Tax revenue16.5%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Government consumption21.4%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Government expense26.6%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Employment in agriculture44.5%% of employment2025no agreed direction

education

Primary completion79.8%% of children2025higher is better
Expected schooling11.8years2023higher is better
Mean years of schooling7.18years2023higher is better
Education spending7.64%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Primary enrollment112%% gross2024higher is better
Secondary enrollment135%% gross2023higher is better
Adult literacy88%% of adults2023higher is better
Out of school, primary2.53%% of primary-age children2024higher is worse
Pupil-teacher ratio26.6pupils per teacher2015higher is worse

environment

CO2 per capita0.87t CO2e per capita2024higher is worse
Forest area36.3%% of land area2023higher is better
Agricultural land15.3%% of land area2023no agreed direction
Protected land4.8%% of land area2025higher is better

gender

Gender Inequality Index0.556index, 0 to 12023higher is worse
Gender Development Index0.952ratio of women's HDI to men's2023no agreed direction
Women's political empowerment0.715index (0-1)2025higher is better
Women ministers0%% of ministers2024higher is better
Women in parliament1.92%% of seats2025higher is better
Women in management37.9%% of managers2025higher is better
Married by 1820.9%% of women aged 20-242023higher is worse

governance

Corruption Perceptions Index50index (0-100, higher = cleaner)2024higher is better
Political rights (FH)2rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Civil liberties (FH)2rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Pre-trial detainee share32.3%% of prisoners2021higher is worse
Refugees originating1.53per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Electoral democracy0.729index (0-1)2025higher is better
Liberal democracy0.623index (0-1)2025higher is better
Participatory democracy0.323index (0-1)2025higher is better
Free and fair elections0.853index (0-1)2025higher is better
Regime type2regime category (0-3)2025higher is better
Political corruption0.332index (0-1)2025higher is worse
Freedom of expression0.848index (0-1)2025higher is better
Freedom of association0.829index (0-1)2025higher is better
Political civil liberties0.905index (0-1)2025higher is better
Civil society participation0.82index (0-1)2025higher is better
Birth registration43.4%% of children under 52013higher is better
Control of corruption-0.151index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Rule of law0.422index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Government effectiveness-0.817index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Regulatory quality-0.325index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Voice and accountability0.486index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Political stability0.96index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better

health

Life expectancy71.7years2024higher is better
Infant mortality14.4per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Under-5 mortality17.1per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Health spending4.12%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Suicide rate15.7per 100,0002021higher is worse
Basic water access87.1%% of population2024higher is better
Basic sanitation47.8%% of population2024higher is better
Child stunting31%% of children under 52024higher is worse
Adolescent fertility65.8births per 1,000 women aged 15-192024higher is worse
Maternal mortality100per 100,000 live births2023higher is worse
Skilled birth attendance89.4%% of births2013higher is better
Alcohol consumption2.04litres per adult per year2020no agreed direction
Tobacco use24.9%% of adults2024higher is worse
Road traffic deaths14.9per 100,000 population2019higher is worse
Physicians0.164per 1,000 people2019higher is better
DTP3 immunisation71%% of children aged 12-23 months2024higher is better
HIV prevalence0.1%% of adults aged 15-492024higher is worse
Tuberculosis incidence44per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Premature NCD mortality36.8%% probability, ages 30-702021higher is worse
Anaemia in women30.4%% of women aged 15-492023higher is worse
Out-of-pocket health spending8.38%% of health spending2023higher is worse
Undernourishment7.2%% of population2023higher is worse
Food insecurity23.3%% of population2020higher is worse
Adult obesity22.6%% of adults2024higher is worse
Health coverage index52index, 0 to 1002023higher is better

inequality

Gini index32.3index (0-100)2019higher is worse
Extreme poverty rate19.5%% of population2019higher is worse

infrastructure

Internet users22.4%% of population2015higher is better
Mobile subscriptions89.3per 100 people2023higher is better
Electricity access65.5%% of population2024higher is better
Slum share of urban population3.06%% of urban population2022higher is worse
Fixed broadband1.16per 100 people2024higher is better

labor

Informal employment72.4%% of employment2019higher is worse
Unemployment5.07%% of labor force2025higher is worse
Female labor participation53.3%% of women 15+2025no agreed direction
Male labor participation62.9%% of men 15+2025no agreed direction
Youth not in work or study29.3%% of 15 to 24 year olds2025higher is worse
Vulnerable employment58%% of employment2025higher is worse

Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works

Countries to compare with Vanuatu

Also in East Asia & Pacific: American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong SAR, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, Dem. People's Rep., Korea, Rep., Lao PDR, Macao SAR, China, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Mongolia, Myanmar, Naoero, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Viet Nam.

Also lower middle income, in other regions: Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Rep., Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Arab Rep., Eswatini, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, RB, West Bank and Gaza, Zambia, Zimbabwe.