Vanuatu | Facts & Information

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff
Infoplease has everything you need to know about Vanuatu. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about Vanuatu's geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. If that's not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags.

Facts & Figures

  • President: Baldwin Lonsdale (2014)

    Prime Minister: Charlot Salwai (2016)

    Total area: 4,710 sq mi (12,200 sq km)

    Population (2014 est.): 266,937 (growth rate: 2.01%); birth rate: 25.69/1000; infant mortality rate: 16.41/1000; life expectancy: 72.72; density per sq mi: 51

    Capital and largest city (2011 est.): Port Vila, 47,000

    Monetary unit: Vatu

    Republic of Vanuatu

    Current government officials

    Languages: Bislama 33.7% (a Melanesian pidgin English), English 2%, French 0.6% (all 3 official); other 0.5%; more than 100 local languages 63.2%

    Ethnicity/race: Ni-Vanuatu 97.6%, part Ni-Vanuatu 1.1%, other 1.3% (2009 est.)

    Religions: Protestant 70% (includes Presbyterian 27.9%, Anglican 15.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.5%, Assemblies of God 4.7%, Church of Christ 4.5%, Neil Thomas Ministry 3.1%, and Apostolic 2.2%), Roman Catholic 12.4%, customary beliefs 3.7% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 12.6%, none 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2009 est.)

    Literacy rate: 83.2% (2011 est.)

    Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2013 est.): $1.27 billion; per capita $4,800. Real growth rate: 3.3%. Inflation: 1.9%. Unemployment: 1.7% (1999). Arable land: 1.64%. Agriculture: copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables; beef; fish. Labor force: 115,900 (2007); agriculture 65%, services 30%, industry 5% (2000 est.). Industries: food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning. Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish. Exports: $43.1 million (2013 est.): copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee. Imports: $319.4 million (2013 est.): machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels. Major trading partners: Thailand, Japan, China, Cote divoire, United States, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Fiji (2012).

    Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 5,800 (2012); mobile cellular: 137,000 (2012). Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2008). Radios: 67,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002). Televisions: 2,300 (1999). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5,655 (2012). Internet users: 17,000 (2009).

    Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 1,070 km; paved: 256 km; unpaved: 814 km (2000 est.). Waterways: none. Ports and harbors: Forari Bay, Luganville (Santo, Espiritu Santo), Port-Vila. Airports: 31 (2013).

    International disputes: Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France.

    Major sources and definitions

See also: