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Vanuatu: capital, population, area and flag

Vanuatu is a country in Melanesia (Oceania). Its capital is Port Vila. The population is about 335K (#172 of 193) and the area is about 12,189 km² (#157 of 193).

Key facts

Capital
Port Vila
Region
Oceania / Melanesia
Population
335,169 (2025) #172 of 193
Total area
12,189 km² (2024) #157 of 193
Population density
26.9 people/km² (2024) #156 of 193
GDP (total)
$1.35B (2025) #177 of 189
GDP per capita
$4,039 (2025) #130 of 189
Life expectancy
71.7 years (2024) #119 of 193
Distance from Japan
6,662 km #159 of 192
Area compared with Japan
about 1/31 that of Japan
Population compared with Japan
about 1/370 that of Japan
Main languages
Bislama, English, French
Currency
Vanuatu Vatu (VUV)
Calling code
+678
Time zone (capital)
UTC+11
Time difference from Japan (standard time)
2 h ahead of Japan
Driving side
Right
Capital location
17.73°S 168.32°E

Population of Vanuatu, 1950–2100 (Japanese)
See past estimates, future projections and the population pyramid in the World Population Time Machine.

Map of Vanuatu

Map of Vanuatu

Capital: Port Vila

Neighbors by land

Vanuatu has no land borders with other countries.

Top rankings

Vanuatu is in the top 10 for:

Vanuatu in world rankings

How Vanuatu compares with other countries, indicator by indicator. Click an indicator to see the full ranking.

IndicatorValueYearRank
Geography & nature
Total area12,189 km²2024#157 of 193
Number of land borders0#155 of 193 tied
Latitude of the capital-17.7°#175 of 193
Distance from Japan6,662 km#159 of 192
Forest area (share of land)74.6%2024#11 of 193
Arable land (share of land)1.6%2024#167 of 190
Protected land (share of land)4.8%2025#166 of 192
Agricultural land (share of land)13.3%2024#162 of 192
Average annual rainfall2,000 mm2022#32 of 180
Freshwater resources per person31,944 m³2022#17 of 181
Forest area9,074 km²2025#129 of 193
Marine protected areas (share of territorial waters)0.0%2025#136 of 153 tied
People & population
Population335,1692025#172 of 193
Population density26.9 people/km²2024#156 of 193
Population growth rate2.23%2025#35 of 193
Urban population (share of people)22.3%2025#185 of 193
Life expectancy71.7 years2024#119 of 193
Fertility rate3.57 births per woman2024#42 of 193
Infant mortality rate14.4 per 1,000 births2024#88 of 192
Birth rate27.7 per 1,000 people2024#40 of 193
Share of people aged 65 and over4.4%2025#135 of 193
Share of children aged 0–1438.0%2025#34 of 193
Life expectancy of women74.1 years2024#120 of 193
Life expectancy of men69.6 years2024#111 of 193
Maternal mortality ratio100 per 100,000 births2023#66 of 192
Death rate (per 1,000 people)5.0 per 1,000 people2024#172 of 193
Under-5 mortality (per 1,000 births)17.1 per 1,000 births2024#86 of 192
Population aged 15–64 (share of population)57.7%2025#162 of 193
Economy
GDP (total)$1.35B2025#177 of 189
GDP per capita$4,0392025#130 of 189
GDP per capita (PPP)$4,5252025#157 of 185
Economic growth rate3.1%2025#100 of 188
Inflation rate0.7%2025#155 of 179
Unemployment rate5.1%2025#91 of 178
Exports (share of GDP)25.3%2024#113 of 168
Imports (share of GDP)48.0%2024#74 of 168
Agriculture (share of GDP)26.6%2024#17 of 184
Industry (share of GDP)10.1%2024#178 of 185
Services (share of GDP)56.8%2024#100 of 185
Income inequality (Gini index)32.3 (0–100)2019#100 of 149 tied
Goods exports (total)$78M2025#176 of 190
Money sent home by workers abroad (share of GDP)17.2%2022#16 of 170
Women in the labor force (share of women)53.3%2025#91 of 178
Youth unemployment rate11.3%2025#98 of 178
Cereal production985 t2024#163 of 177
Cereal yield (per hectare of farmland)636 kg/ha2024#169 of 175
Fish and seafood production (catch + farmed)44,428 t2024#112 of 193
Fish catch (from sea, rivers and lakes)44,422 t2024#105 of 193
Aquaculture (farmed fish and seafood)6 t2024#174 of 193
Livestock production growth (2014–16 = 100)78.8 (2014–16 average = 100)2024#179 of 187
Fertilizer use (per hectare of arable land)1 kg/ha2024#183 of 187
Manufacturing (share of GDP)4.0%2024#158 of 178
Employment in agriculture (share of jobs)44.5%2025#31 of 178
Foreign direct investment, inflows (share of GDP)2.4%2025#79 of 187
Development aid received (share of national income)11.6%2023#19 of 132
Labor force (number of people)120,8332025#173 of 178
Reserves of foreign currency and gold$615M2024#147 of 169
Extreme poverty (share living on less than $3.00 a day)19.5%2019#28 of 132
Daily life & technology
Mobile phone subscriptions89.3 per 100 people2023#144 of 193
Access to electricity (share of people)65.5%2024#159 of 193
Health spending (share of GDP)4.1%2023#152 of 192
Education spending (share of GDP)7.6%2024#10 of 179
Doctors0.16 per 1,000 people2019#168 of 188
Women in parliament (share of seats)1.9%2025#189 of 192
Fixed broadband subscriptions1.2 per 100 people2024#151 of 192
Air passengers carried359,2902023#119 of 152
Safe drinking water (share of people)19.2%2024#124 of 136
Undernourishment (share of people)5.8%2024#73 of 165
Clean cooking fuels (share of people)20.0%2024#161 of 192
Road traffic deaths14.9 per 100,000 people2019#95 of 183 tied
Measles vaccination (share of children)61.0%2024#178 of 192
Secondary school enrollment (gross)134.7%2023#6 of 180
Primary school completion rate113.4%2024#5 of 172
Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)1.46 per 1,000 people2019#150 of 190
Tuberculosis cases (per 100,000 people)44 per 100,000 people2024#98 of 191 tied
Health spending per person$1432023#135 of 192
Container port traffic (TEU)77,436 TEU2019#123 of 150
Environment
Renewable electricity (share of power)25.2%2021#94 of 187
CO₂ emissions per person0.9 t CO₂e per person2024#133 of 186
CO₂ emissions (total)0.3 Mt CO₂e2024#175 of 186
Air pollution (PM2.5)7.0 µg/m³2023#173 of 192
Renewable energy (share of final energy use)25.0%2022#92 of 191 tied
Electricity from nuclear power (share of total)0.0%2021#33 of 190 tied
Electricity from hydropower (share of total)10.7%2021#96 of 190
Greenhouse gas emissions (total)0.6 Mt CO₂e2024#171 of 186
Food & farming
Maize (corn): production985 t2024#147 of 160
Potatoes: production3 t2024#150 of 150
Cassava: production10,050 t2024#69 of 92
Sweet potatoes: production11,830 t2024#67 of 105
Yams: production42,060 t2024#28 of 56
Groundnuts (peanuts): production1,882 t2024#83 of 108
Coconuts: production365,332 t2024#17 of 79
Tomatoes: production500 t2024#150 of 164
Cabbages: production25,960 t2024#89 of 143
Carrots (with turnips): production50 t2024#125 of 129
Cucumbers (with gherkins): production7,160 t2024#91 of 130
Lettuce (with chicory): production20 t2024#98 of 102
Lemons (with limes): production930 t2024#85 of 101
Bananas: production17,871 t2024#81 of 113
Mangoes (with guavas and mangosteens): production7,600 t2024#61 of 96
Pineapples: production3,800 t2024#61 of 82
Watermelons: production205,000 t2024#39 of 119
Avocados: production5,600 t2024#46 of 70
Coffee: production13 t2024#71 of 74
Cocoa beans: production1,500 t2024#32 of 58 tied
Sugar cane: production1,800 t2024#87 of 93
Black pepper (Piper spp.): production2 t2024#45 of 45
Ginger: production180 t2024#33 of 40
Beef (cattle meat): production2,022 t2024#151 of 181
Pork (pig meat): production2,809 t2024#117 of 164
Chicken meat: production548 t2024#169 of 183
Cow’s milk: production3,100 t2024#163 of 178
Hen eggs: production642 t2024#155 of 167
Honey: production2 t2024#122 of 122
Goat meat: production19 t2024#153 of 164
Nile tilapia: production6 t2024#73 of 79 tied
Skipjack tuna: production24,837 t2024#29 of 82
Yellowfin tuna: production4,972 t2024#40 of 82
Bigeye tuna: production4,138 t2024#18 of 68
Albacore: production2,905 t2024#11 of 60
Swordfish: production398 t2024#32 of 76
Crabs: production300 t2024#56 of 97
Clams and cockles: production170 t2024#37 of 55
Squids, cuttlefish and octopuses: production2,511 t2024#48 of 102
Tunas, bonitos and billfishes: production37,784 t2024#40 of 133
Tilapias and other cichlids: production6 t2024#106 of 119
Sea urchins, sea cucumbers and other echinoderms: production35 t2024#32 of 48
Sharks and rays: production511 t2024#70 of 127
Cattle: number of animals89,000 animals2024#149 of 183
Pigs: number of animals76,165 animals2024#117 of 165
Chickens: number of animals436,000 birds2024#166 of 181
Sheep: number of animals1,260 animals2024#173 of 173
Goats: number of animals9,509 animals2024#161 of 180
Horses: number of animals2,416 animals2024#115 of 143

Questions about Vanuatu

What is the capital of Vanuatu?

The capital of Vanuatu is Port Vila.

What is the population of Vanuatu?

Vanuatu has a population of about 335K (2025), #172 of 193 among countries.

How big is Vanuatu?

Vanuatu covers about 12,189 km², #157 of 193 among countries.

Which continent is Vanuatu in?

Vanuatu is in Oceania, in the region of Melanesia.

What currency and languages are used in Vanuatu?

The currency is the Vanuatu Vatu. Main languages: Bislama, English, French.

How does Vanuatu compare with Japan in size and population?

The area of Vanuatu is about 1/31 that of Japan, and its population is about 1/370 that of Japan.

How far is Vanuatu from Japan?

The capital, Port Vila, is about 6,662 km from Tokyo, the capital of Japan, in a straight line.

What is the time difference between Vanuatu and Japan?

The capital, Port Vila, is on UTC+11 in standard time: 2 h ahead of Japan.

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