Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 43.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Vanuatu, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Vanuatu recorded 43.6% for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Vanuatu peaked at 68.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 43.6%, in 2023.
Vanuatu ranks 32nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 68.3% | — |
| 1992 | 68.1% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 68.1% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 67.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 67.8% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 67.6% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 67.3% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 67.0% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 66.7% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 66.2% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 66.1% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 66.1% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 65.4% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 65.0% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 64.3% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 63.6% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 62.7% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 61.7% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 60.5% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 63.8% | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 62.6% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 61.4% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 60.0% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 58.4% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 56.4% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 54.6% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 52.8% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 51.0% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 49.2% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 45.6% | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 45.0% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 44.2% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 43.6% | -1.2% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 43.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.4%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 43.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.1%, 1.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.6% | 66.7% | 68.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 64.2% | 60.5% | 66.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.0% | 49.2% | 63.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.6% | 43.6% | 45.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
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 share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Vanuatu?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Vanuatu was 43.6% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 68.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.6% in 2023.
- How does Vanuatu rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Vanuatu ranks 32nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.