Unemployment rate in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Unemployment rate was 5.07 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Vanuatu, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Vanuatu is 5.07, 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 8.66 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.05, 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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.98 | — |
| 1992 | 7.95 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 8.26 | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 8.08 | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 8.13 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 8.09 | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 8.22 | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 8.22 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 8.29 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 8.27 | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 8.41 | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 8.6 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 8.66 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 8.43 | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 8.12 | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 8.01 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 6.86 | -14.4% |
| 2008 | 5.66 | -17.4% |
| 2009 | 4.57 | -19.4% |
| 2010 | 4.68 | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 4.81 | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 4.94 | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 5.04 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 5.14 | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 5.17 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 5.2 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 5.25 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 5.35 | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 5.44 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 4.05 | -25.7% |
| 2021 | 4.78 | +18.0% |
| 2022 | 5.08 | +6.3% |
| 2023 | 5.01 | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 4.99 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 5.07 | +1.7% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 5.07 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.06, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 5.07 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.05, 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% | 5.44 | 4.05 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.14 | 7.95 | 8.29 | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.56 | 4.57 | 8.66 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.1 | 4.68 | 5.44 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.83 | 4.05 | 5.08 | 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 5.07 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 8.66 in 2003.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.05 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 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).