Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre was 5.85 people per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
5.85 people per square kilometre
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
198th
of 215 countries
All-time high
5.85 people per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
0.4484 people per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Vanuatu, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Vanuatu stood at 5.85 people per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Vanuatu peaked at 5.85 people per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.4484 people per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places Vanuatu 198th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | people per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4484 people per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.4769 people per square kilometre | +6.4% |
| 1963 | 0.5071 people per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1964 | 0.5391 people per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 0.573 people per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1966 | 0.6088 people per square kilometre | +6.2% |
| 1967 | 0.6471 people per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1968 | 0.6896 people per square kilometre | +6.6% |
| 1969 | 0.7341 people per square kilometre | +6.5% |
| 1970 | 0.781 people per square kilometre | +6.4% |
| 1971 | 0.8303 people per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1972 | 0.8825 people per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1973 | 0.9376 people per square kilometre | +6.2% |
| 1974 | 0.9956 people per square kilometre | +6.2% |
| 1975 | 1.06 people per square kilometre | +6.2% |
| 1976 | 1.12 people per square kilometre | +6.1% |
| 1977 | 1.19 people per square kilometre | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 1.26 people per square kilometre | +6.0% |
| 1979 | 1.33 people per square kilometre | +5.6% |
| 1980 | 1.4 people per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1981 | 1.47 people per square kilometre | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 1.55 people per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 1.63 people per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 1984 | 1.72 people per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 1.81 people per square kilometre | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 1.9 people per square kilometre | +5.1% |
| 1987 | 1.99 people per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 2.09 people per square kilometre | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 2.18 people per square kilometre | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 2.28 people per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 1991 | 2.38 people per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 2.47 people per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 2.57 people per square kilometre | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 2.67 people per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 2.78 people per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 2.88 people per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 2.98 people per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 3.08 people per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 3.19 people per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 3.31 people per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 3.44 people per square kilometre | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 3.57 people per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 3.7 people per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 3.84 people per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 3.98 people per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 4.13 people per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 4.28 people per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 4.45 people per square kilometre | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 4.64 people per square kilometre | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 4.84 people per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 4.95 people per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 5.07 people per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 5.19 people per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 5.31 people per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 5.43 people per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 5.55 people per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 5.66 people per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 5.68 people per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 5.63 people per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 5.5 people per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 5.58 people per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 5.71 people per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 5.85 people per square kilometre | +2.4% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 5.85 people per square kilometre is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 33.53 people per square kilometre, 17% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 5.85 people per square kilometre is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 81.73 people per square kilometre, 7% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5805 people per square kilometre | 0.4484 people per square kilometre | 0.7341 people per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.04 people per square kilometre | 0.781 people per square kilometre | 1.33 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.77 people per square kilometre | 1.4 people per square kilometre | 2.18 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.73 people per square kilometre | 2.28 people per square kilometre | 3.19 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.93 people per square kilometre | 3.31 people per square kilometre | 4.64 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.33 people per square kilometre | 4.84 people per square kilometre | 5.68 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.66 people per square kilometre | 5.5 people per square kilometre | 5.85 people per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 195 Turkmenistan 7.38 people per square kilometre compare
- 196 Russia 6.66 people per square kilometre compare
- 197 Mali 6.04 people per square kilometre compare
- 199 Kazakhstan 4.65 people per square kilometre compare
- 200 Chad 4.04 people per square kilometre compare
- 201 South Sudan 3.83 people per square kilometre compare
More population data for Vanuatu
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5164 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7815 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5164 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.6576 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 578.57 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.2 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2172 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Population density 71.82 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 59,723 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Vanuatu?
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre in Vanuatu was 5.85 people per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 5.85 people per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4484 people per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Vanuatu rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre?
- Vanuatu ranks 198th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of people living in urban and rural areas ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.