Rural population in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Rural population was 77.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
77.7%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
9th
of 217 countries
All-time high
92.0%
in 1960
All-time low
75.1%
in 2016
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Rural population in Vanuatu, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Vanuatu recorded 77.7% for rural population in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Vanuatu peaked at 92.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 75.1%, in 2016.
Vanuatu ranks 9th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 92.0% | — |
| 1961 | 91.8% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 91.5% | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 91.2% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 90.9% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 90.6% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 90.3% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 90.0% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 89.7% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 89.3% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 89.0% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 88.6% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 88.3% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 87.9% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 87.5% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 87.2% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 86.8% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 86.4% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 86.0% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 85.6% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 85.2% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 84.8% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 84.4% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 84.0% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 83.5% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 83.1% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 82.7% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 82.3% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 81.9% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 81.6% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 81.2% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 80.9% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 80.6% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 80.3% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 80.0% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 79.8% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 79.5% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 79.2% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 78.9% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 78.6% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 78.3% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 78.1% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 77.8% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 77.5% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 77.3% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 77.0% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 76.7% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 76.4% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 76.1% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 75.7% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 75.3% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 75.2% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 75.2% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 75.2% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 75.1% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 75.1% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 75.1% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 75.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 75.7% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 76.5% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 77.6% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 77.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 77.7% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 77.7% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 77.7% | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 77.7% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 90.7% | 89.3% | 92.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 87.3% | 85.6% | 89.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 83.3% | 81.6% | 85.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.9% | 78.6% | 81.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.1% | 75.7% | 78.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.4% | 75.1% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.7% | 77.6% | 77.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 6 Sri Lanka 79.5% compare
- 7 Tonga 78.8% compare
- 8 South Sudan 78.3% compare
- 10 Micronesia (country) 77.5% compare
- 11 Ethiopia 75.9% compare
- 12 Antigua and Barbuda 75.7% 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 rural population in Vanuatu?
- Rural population in Vanuatu was 77.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 92.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.1% in 2016.
- How does Vanuatu rank for rural population?
- Vanuatu ranks 9th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. 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 (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.