Vanuatu at its true size
Vanuatu covers 12,190 km², number 158 of 194 countries by area. Home to 335,169 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 12,190 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 335,169 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 27 per km² |
| Capital | Port-Vila |
| Local time in Port-Vila | |
| Time zone | UTC+11 IANA |
| Currency | Vanuatu vatus (VUV) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, French, Bislama |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Melanesia, Oceania |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +678 |
| Codes | VU · VUT · 548 |
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Where Vanuatu ranks
Among the independent states, in 40 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#173 of 194335,169 people#6 of 13 in Oceania
- Population density#156 of 19427 people per km²#10 of 13 in Oceania
- Urban population#184 of 19222% urban#10 of 13 in Oceania
- Fertility rate#42 of 1923.57 births per woman#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Population growth#35 of 192+2.23% a year#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Birth rate#40 of 19227.7 births per 1,000 people#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Death rate#171 of 1925.0 deaths per 1,000 people#13 of 13 in Oceania
- Children under 15#33 of 19238.0% under 15#2 of 13 in Oceania
- People over 65#134 of 1924.4% aged 65 and over#9 of 13 in Oceania
- Net migration#84 of 192−0.2 per 1,000 people#5 of 13 in Oceania
- Refugees abroad#134 of 1900.04 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#8 of 13 in Oceania
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#120 of 185$4,410 a person#10 of 13 in Oceania
- GDP per capita (PPP)#156 of 184$4,525 a person#11 of 13 in Oceania
- GDP growth#96 of 187+3.1% a year#7 of 13 in Oceania
- Inflation#149 of 176+0.7% a year#9 of 11 in Oceania
- Unemployment#88 of 1785.1% of the labour force#2 of 8 in Oceania
- Extreme poverty#36 of 14919.5% under $3.00 a day#1 of 6 in Oceania
- Income inequality (Gini)#100 of 149a Gini index of 32.3#3 of 6 in Oceania
- Jobs in agriculture#31 of 17844.5% of jobs#1 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in industry#155 of 17810.0% of jobs#6 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in services#136 of 17845.4% of jobs#8 of 8 in Oceania
- Foreign investment#78 of 1842.4% of GDP#5 of 12 in Oceania
- Exports#113 of 16825.3% of GDP#7 of 12 in Oceania
- Mobile subscriptions#142 of 19189 subscriptions per 100 people#4 of 12 in Oceania
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#133 of 1850.87 tonnes a person#7 of 13 in Oceania
- Forest area#80 of 19236% forest#9 of 13 in Oceania
- Renewable energy#92 of 19025.0% renewable#7 of 13 in Oceania
- Access to electricity#158 of 19265.5% with electricity#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#173 of 1917.0 µg/m³#3 of 13 in Oceania
- Protected land#165 of 1914.8% of the land protected#8 of 13 in Oceania
- Arable land#167 of 1901.6% of the land arable#9 of 12 in Oceania
- Precipitation#32 of 1802,000 mm a year#5 of 7 in Oceania
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Vanuatu’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Vanuatu fit into…
- Russia: about 1401 times
- Canada: about 819 times
- United States: about 806 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Vanuatu shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Mount Tabwemasana1,879 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Vanuatu. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Vanuatu
- How big is Vanuatu?
- Vanuatu covers 12,190 km², which makes it number 158 of 194 countries by area. About 335,169 people live there (2025), 27 per km².
- Is Vanuatu bigger than Qatar?
- Vanuatu is 7% larger than Qatar. Vanuatu: 12,190 km²; Qatar: 11,437 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Vanuatu?
- Vanuatu lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Does Vanuatu have land borders?
- No. Vanuatu has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.