How many people live in Vanuatu right now?
Right now, according to UN estimates
344,891
| Today | In 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | · | · |
| Deaths | · | · |
| Growth | · | · |
2026 figures
- Rank by population
- 182 of 237
- Share of world population
- 0.0041%
- Median age
- 20.3 years
- Children per woman
- 3.50
- Life expectancy
- 72.0 years
- People per km²
- 28
According to UN estimates, about 344,891 people live in Vanuatu right now. It ranks 182nd out of 237 countries and territories by population, between Mayotte and Martinique, and it is home to one in every 24,100 people on the planet.
Every day, about 30 people are born there and about 5 die. Overall, the population grows by about 20 people a day (2.16% a year).
In 1950, about 51,542 people lived there. Today there are 6.7 times as many. The UN expects it to keep growing for the rest of the century. By 2050 it is projected to have about 534,388 people (55% more than today), and by 2100 about 875,479.
Half of its people are younger than 20 (worldwide, 31). Women have an average of 3.50 children each, above the 2.1 needed for each generation to replace the one before, and life expectancy at birth is 72 years (worldwide, 74). There are 28 people per square kilometer.
UN estimates up to today and projections (medium variant) from today onward.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Vanuatu in 2026?
- Vanuatu has about 344,891 people right now, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024. On July 1, 2026, there were 342,564.
- How many people are born each day in Vanuatu?
- About 30 a day (9,200 a year). About 5 people die each day (1,700 a year).
- Is the population of Vanuatu growing?
- Yes: it grows by 2.16% a year, or about 7,400 people.
- What will the population of Vanuatu be in 2050?
- According to the UN projection (medium variant), about 534,388.
- Why doesn't this figure match the country's official statistics?
- The UN estimates the population of every country with the same method, based on censuses, surveys and registers, and projects it year by year. Each national statistics office uses its own censuses and registers, which may be more up to date or count foreign residents differently. That is why the figures can differ slightly.
Countries with a similar population
- Iceland 403,437
- Guadeloupe 372,014
- Mayotte 350,859
- Martinique 336,878
- French Guiana 320,556
- New Caledonia 298,674
More countries in Oceania
- Australia 27,305,104
- Papua New Guinea 11,005,586
- New Zealand 5,298,027
- Fiji 938,560
- Solomon Islands 864,512
- New Caledonia 298,674
- French Polynesia 283,264
- Samoa 220,922
- Guam 170,549
- Kiribati 139,061
- Micronesia 114,346
- Tonga 103,166
All countries and territories →
Where these figures come from
The figures are estimates from the United Nations Population Division, published in World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant): the reference used by international organizations and by most population counters. The UN estimates how many people there are on July 1 of each year and how many are born, die and migrate; between one date and the next, this counter spreads the change continuously, second by second.
It is not a real-time headcount: nobody can count every person in a country at once. It is the best available estimate, and it may differ slightly from the figures of each country's statistics office, which use their own censuses and population registers.