Population growth in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Population growth was 2.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population growth in Vanuatu, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Vanuatu stood at 2.2%.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Vanuatu peaked at 3.1% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1999.
Vanuatu ranks 36th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.8% | — |
| 1962 | 2.8% | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 2.9% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 2.9% | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 2.9% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 3.0% | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 3.0% | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 3.0% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 3.0% | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 3.0% | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 3.0% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 3.0% | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 3.0% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 3.0% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 3.1% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 2.8% | -10.7% |
| 1980 | 2.3% | -17.0% |
| 1981 | 2.2% | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 2.3% | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 2.4% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 2.5% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 2.5% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 2.6% | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 2.5% | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | +10.9% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | +9.5% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | -7.4% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 2.3% | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 2.2% | -1.9% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 2.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 2.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6%, 3.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
More climate change data for Vanuatu
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 0 kg (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 645.34 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 155.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 490.27 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.5852 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 17.51 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.2124 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.106 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 0.1064 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0004 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Vanuatu?
- Population growth in Vanuatu was 2.2% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 1978.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1999.
- How does Vanuatu rank for population growth?
- Vanuatu ranks 36th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.