Vanuatu: Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Vanuatu's bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) fell 7.95 percentage points on 2023 (from 48.28% to 40.33%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2023), the average change was +1.83 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.93 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 12.62 percentage points in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.95 percentage points in 2024. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.92 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 54% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Vanuatu had the 5th highest value of the 21 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Vanuatu in the 2024 ranking

• Czechia — 2nd of 21: 51.3%
• Malawi — 3rd of 21: 48.7%
• Comoros — 4th of 21: 47.03%
• Nicaragua — 6th of 21: 36.84%
• Hungary — 7th of 21: 31.31%
• Gambia, The — 8th of 21: 28.22%

What this measures

Ratio of bank liquid reserves to bank assets is the ratio of domestic currency holdings and deposits with the monetary authorities to claims on other governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, the private sector, and other banking institutions. This indicator is expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 24 values

Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) in nearby economies

• Australia — 6.68% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 9.58% (2025)
• Cambodia — 20.5% (2025)
• Fiji — 28.3% (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 5.38% (2025)
• Indonesia — 19.48% (2025)
• Japan — 30.5% (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — 3.57% (2024)
• Macao SAR, China — 5.05% (2025)
• Malaysia

More financial sector data for Vanuatu

• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$120.33 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$120.32 (2025)
• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 152.47 (2025)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 69.26 billion (2024)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 95.78 billion (2024)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 128.27 billion (2024)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 0.66% (2025)
• Claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money) — 2.17% (2024)
• Claims on private sector (annual growth as % of broad money) — 3.31% (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Vanuatu's bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%)?

40.33% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is up 32.42 percentage points from 7.91% in 2001. The highest value was 56.25% in 2021 and the lowest 6.78% in 2003.

How does Vanuatu rank?

5th highest of 21 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) unusual for Vanuatu?

In 2024, Vanuatu's bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) fell 7.95 percentage points on 2023 (from 48.28% to 40.33%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2023), the average change was +1.83 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.93 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.