Land use in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Land use was 145,000 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
145,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
148th
of 224 countries
All-time high
145,000 hectares
in 2007
All-time low
80,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Vanuatu, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Vanuatu stood at 145,000 hectares. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Vanuatu peaked at 145,000 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 80,000 hectares, in 1961.
That places Vanuatu 148th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 80,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 80,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 80,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 80,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 88,000 hectares | +10.0% |
| 1966 | 88,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 88,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 88,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 88,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 95,000 hectares | +8.0% |
| 1971 | 95,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 95,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 95,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 95,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 101,000 hectares | +6.3% |
| 1976 | 101,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 102,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 102,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 103,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 103,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 104,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 104,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 105,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 105,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 107,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 109,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 111,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 113,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 115,000 hectares | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 117,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 119,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 120,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 122,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 123,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 125,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 127,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 128,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 130,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 131,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 133,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 135,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 136,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 138,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 139,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 141,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 143,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 145,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 145,000 hectares | +0.0% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 145,000 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 5% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 145,000 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 141,800 hectares, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 84,444 hectares | 80,000 hectares | 88,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 98,400 hectares | 95,000 hectares | 103,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 107,600 hectares | 103,000 hectares | 115,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 124,200 hectares | 117,000 hectares | 131,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 140,000 hectares | 133,000 hectares | 145,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 145,000 hectares | 145,000 hectares | 145,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 145,000 hectares | 145,000 hectares | 145,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
More environment data for Vanuatu
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.29 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.225 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.02 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -2.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Vanuatu?
- Land use in Vanuatu was 145,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 145,000 hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 80,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Vanuatu rank for land use?
- Vanuatu ranks 148th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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