Unemployment rate in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Unemployment rate was 5.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Vanuatu, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Vanuatu is 5.1%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Vanuatu peaked at 8.7% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 2020.
That places Vanuatu 97th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.0% | — |
| 1992 | 7.9% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 8.3% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 8.1% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 8.1% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 8.1% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 8.2% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 8.2% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 8.3% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 8.3% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 8.4% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 8.6% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 8.7% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 8.4% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 8.1% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 8.0% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 6.9% | -14.4% |
| 2008 | 5.7% | -17.4% |
| 2009 | 4.6% | -19.4% |
| 2010 | 4.7% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 5.0% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 5.1% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 5.2% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 5.4% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 5.4% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | -25.7% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | +18.0% |
| 2022 | 5.1% | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 5.0% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 5.1% | +1.7% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 5.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 5.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.0%, 1.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Vanuatu changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -25.7% | 5.4% | 4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.1% | 7.9% | 8.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 4.6% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.1% | 4.7% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.0% | 5.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
More work & labour data for Vanuatu
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5174 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5226 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5115 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6054 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.46 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 163.02 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 311.57 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 431.36 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 444.12 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 875.48 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Vanuatu?
- Unemployment rate in Vanuatu was 5.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 2003.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 2020.
- How does Vanuatu rank for unemployment rate?
- Vanuatu ranks 97th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.