Vanuatu — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Vanuatu, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Vanuatu was 5.07% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 8.66% in 2003. The lowest was 4.05% in 2020 (about 1.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.32% per year.
Vanuatu ranks 98 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 52%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Vanuatu sits above it. It peaked in 2003 and has fallen 41% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 2%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 8 of 29 economies; Samoa (5.00%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 26% in 2020.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 72nd of 187 in 1991 → 81st of 187 in 2000 → 127th of 187 in 2010 → 146th of 187 in 2020 → 93rd of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.07% | +0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 4.99% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 5.01% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 5.08% | +0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 4.78% | +0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 4.05% | -1.4 pp |
| 2019 | 5.44% | +0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 5.35% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 5.25% | +0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 5.2% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 5.17% | +0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 5.14% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 5.04% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 4.94% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 4.81% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 4.68% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 4.57% | -1.1 pp |
| 2008 | 5.66% | -1.2 pp |
| 2007 | 6.86% | -1.2 pp |
| 2006 | 8.01% | -0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 8.12% | -0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 8.43% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 8.66% | +0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 8.6% | +0.2 pp |
| 2001 | 8.41% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 8.27% | -0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 8.29% | +0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 8.22% | +0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 8.22% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 8.09% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 8.13% | +0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 8.08% | -0.2 pp |
| 1993 | 8.26% | +0.3 pp |
| 1992 | 7.95% | -0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 7.98% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Vanuatu’s Unemployment in 1992?
7.95% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Vanuatu’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -36.4% in total — about 1.3% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 5.07%; 2024: 4.99%; 2023: 5.01%; 2022: 5.08%; 2021: 4.78%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.