Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 44.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Vanuatu, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Vanuatu stood at 44.5%.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Vanuatu peaked at 56.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 42.9%, in 2019.
That places Vanuatu 31st out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 55.8% | — |
| 1992 | 55.7% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 55.9% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 55.3% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 55.4% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 55.3% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 55.0% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 54.9% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 54.8% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 54.4% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 54.8% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 55.3% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 55.0% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 54.7% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 54.2% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 53.5% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 53.3% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 53.0% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 52.7% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 56.5% | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 55.1% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 54.0% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 52.9% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 51.6% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 50.3% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 48.3% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 46.2% | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 44.6% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 42.9% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 44.7% | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 45.1% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 44.8% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 44.6% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 44.6% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 44.5% | -0.2% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 44.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.4%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 44.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.6%, 1.9× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.3% | 54.8% | 55.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.1% | 52.7% | 55.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.2% | 42.9% | 56.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.7% | 44.5% | 45.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 28 Kenya 45.8% compare
- 29 Côte d'Ivoire 45.4% compare
- 30 Myanmar 45.0% compare
- 32 Sierra Leone 44.5% compare
- 33 Bangladesh 44.3% compare
- 34 Tajikistan 43.3% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Vanuatu
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2663 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,054 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7768 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 26.6% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 26.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.8% (2011)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2011)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Vanuatu?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Vanuatu was 44.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 56.5% in 2010.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.9% in 2019.
- How does Vanuatu rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Vanuatu ranks 31st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).