World Factbook
Vanuatu
Ripablik blong Vanuatu
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
87.7% (2023 est.)
female
88.2% (2023 est.)
total population
88% (2023 est.)
Languages
indigenous languages (more than 100) 82.6%, Bislama (official; creole) 14.5%, English (official) 2.1%, French (official) 0.8% (2020 est.)
note: data represent first language spoken for population aged 3 years and above
Religions
Protestant 39.9% (Presbyterian 27.2%, Seventh Day Adventist 14.8%, Anglican 12%, Churches of Christ 5%, Assemblies of God 4.9%, Neil Thomas Ministry/Inner Life Ministry 3.2%), Roman Catholic 12.1%, Apostolic 2.3%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.8%, customary beliefs (including Jon Frum cargo cult) 3.1%, other 12%, none 1.4%, unspecified 0.1% (2020 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.96 male(s)/female
total population
0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.96 male(s)/female
Birth rate
20.36 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
4.02 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
24.1 years
total
24.9 years (2025 est.)
female
25 years
Population
male
157,932
total
318,007 (2024 est.)
female
160,075
Nationality
noun
Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective
Ni-Vanuatu
Tobacco use
male
33% (2020 est.)
total
17.8% (2020 est.)
female
2.6% (2020 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
26% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.55% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
31.1% (male 50,584/female 48,475)
15-64 years
63.8% (male 99,496/female 103,425)
65 years and over
5% (2024 est.) (male 7,852/female 8,175)
Ethnic groups
Ni-Vanuatu 99%, other 1% (European, Asian, other Melanesian, Polynesian, Micronesian, other) (2020 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
56.7 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio
48.8 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio
12.7 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
7.9 (2024 est.)
Physician density
0.16 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
4.4% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
3.9% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-1.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.46 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 88.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 91.3% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 99.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 11.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 8.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0.8% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
7.6% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
20.1% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
15 deaths/1,000 live births
total
13.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
12.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.51% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.2 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
three quarters of the population lives in rural areas; the urban populace lives primarily in two cities, Port-Vila and Lugenville; the three largest islands -- Espiritu Santo, Malakula, and Efate -- accommodate over half of the populace
Life expectancy at birth
male
74 years
female
77.4 years
total population
75.7 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
100 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 66.9% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 73.9% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 94% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 33.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 26.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 6% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.34 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
1.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.87 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
53,000 PORT-VILA (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
25.2% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
68.6% (2020 est.)