Vanuatu People - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

313,046 (2023 est.)

Nationality

noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)

adjective: Ni-Vanuatu

Ethnic groups

Melanesian 99.2%, non-Melanesian 0.8% (2016 est.)

Languages

local languages (more than 100) 63.2%, Bislama (official; creole) 33.7%, English (official) 2%, French (official) 0.6%, other 0.5% (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.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.73% (male 50,721/female 48,607)

15-64 years: 63.41% (male 97,376/female 101,135)

65 years and over: 4.86% (2023 est.) (male 7,486/female 7,721)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 76.5

youth dependency ratio: 69.9

elderly dependency ratio: 12.3

potential support ratio: 15.2 (2021 est.)

Median age

total: 23 years

male: 22.6 years

female: 23.5 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

1.59% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

21.19 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

3.99 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

three-quarters of the population lives in rural areas; the urban populace lives primarily in two cities, Port-Vila and Lugenville; three largest islands - Espiritu Santo, Malakula, and Efate - accomodate over half of the populace

Urbanization

urban population: 26% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 2.55% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

53,000 PORT-VILA (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

94 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 14 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 15.38 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.4 years

male: 73.72 years

female: 77.17 years (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.59 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.26 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

49% (2013)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 89.7% of population

total: 92.3% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 10.3% of population

total: 7.7% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure

4% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

0.17 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 91.1% of population

rural: 60.4% of population

total: 68.2% of population

unimproved: urban: 8.9% of population

rural: 39.6% of population

total: 31.8% of population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

25.2% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 1.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 0.34 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 0.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 0.87 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 17.8% (2020 est.)

male: 33% (2020 est.)

female: 2.6% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

11.7% (2013)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

69.2% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

2.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 89.1%

male: 89.8%

female: 88.4% (2021)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 5.4%

male: 5.2%

female: 5.6% (2021 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Vanuatu on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Vanuatu 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Vanuatu 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.