Urban population in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Urban population was 22.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Vanuatu, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Vanuatu is 22.3%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Vanuatu peaked at 24.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 1960.
That places Vanuatu 207th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.3% | 8.0% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.7% | 11.0% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.7% | 14.8% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.1% | 18.8% | 21.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 21.7% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.6% | 23.5% | 24.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.3% | 22.3% | 22.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 204 Antigua and Barbuda 24.3% compare
- 205 Ethiopia 24.1% compare
- 206 Micronesia (country) 22.5% compare
- 208 South Sudan 21.7% compare
- 209 Tonga 21.2% compare
- 210 Sri Lanka 20.5% compare
More climate change data for Vanuatu
- Population growth 2.2% (2025)
- Population, total 335,169 (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.4% (2025)
- Urban population 74,816 (2025)
- Terrestrial protected areas 4.8% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 0.1% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.0% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 3.1 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Vanuatu?
- Urban population in Vanuatu was 22.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 24.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 1960.
- How does Vanuatu rank for urban population?
- Vanuatu ranks 207th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.