Rural population growth in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Rural population growth was 2.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population growth in Vanuatu, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Vanuatu recorded 2.2% for rural population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Vanuatu peaked at 3.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1999.
Vanuatu ranks 14th of 209 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Rural population growth in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.5% | — |
| 1962 | 2.5% | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 2.6% | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 2.6% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 2.6% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 2.6% | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 2.7% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 2.6% | -2.0% |
| 1969 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 2.6% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 2.6% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 2.6% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 2.6% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 2.6% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 2.6% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | -12.8% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -21.1% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | -5.4% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | +5.9% |
| 1983 | 1.9% | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 2.0% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 2.0% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 2.0% | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 2.1% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 2.1% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 2.0% | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | +13.2% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | +12.1% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | -16.0% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | +21.5% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +11.1% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | +23.5% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | +9.7% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | +11.7% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -32.1% |
| 2022 | 2.3% | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 2.3% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | -2.8% |
| 2025 | 2.2% | -2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.7% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 3.7% | 6 |
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)
- Agriculture share gdp 26.63 (2024)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 26.63 (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.8% (2011)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2011)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Vanuatu?
- Rural population growth in Vanuatu was 2.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1999.
- How does Vanuatu rank for rural population growth?
- Vanuatu ranks 14th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.