Vanuatu: GDP per capita (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Vanuatu's GDP per capita (current LCU) rose 14,082 on 2024 (from 471,879 to 485,961).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +10,177 and a typical year strayed about 13,485 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 42,386 in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 24,336 in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 11,769 a year. A straight line explains 82% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 509,203 for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 11,682, against 42,062 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Vanuatu had the 67th highest value of the 186 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 2025 ranking

• North Macedonia — 63rd of 186: 573,274
• Cabo Verde — 64th of 186: 567,261
• Denmark — 65th of 186: 509,683
• Niger — 67th of 186: 451,200
• Pakistan — 68th of 186: 445,920
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 69th of 186: 444,302

What this measures

Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate.This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

All 47 values

GDP per capita (current LCU) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 18,018 (2022)
• Australia — 100,632 (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 42,150 (2025)
• Cambodia — 11.53 million (2025)
• China — 99,665 (2025)
• Fiji — 15,270 (2025)
• French Polynesia — 2.48 million (2024)
• Guam — 41,833 (2022)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 444,302 (2025)
• Indonesia — 83.37 million (2025)
• Japan — 5.38 million (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Vanuatu

• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$153.1 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Total (current US$) — US$118.44 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (current US$) — US$150.05 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (constant 2023 US$) — US$150.05 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (current US$) — US$150.05 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (constant 2023 US$) — US$150.05 million (2023)
• Net ODA received per capita (current US$) — US$468.32 (2023)
• Technical cooperation grants (BoP, current US$)

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 GDP per capita (current LCU)?

485,961 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is up 569.91% from 72,541 in 1979 (4.22% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 485,961 in 2025 and the lowest 71,555 in 1980.

How does Vanuatu rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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.

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