Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 90.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Vanuatu, 1994–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Vanuatu is 90.1%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Vanuatu peaked at 97.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 73.5%, in 1994.
That places Vanuatu 177th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 73.5% | — |
| 1995 | 74.2% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 75.0% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 75.7% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 76.4% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 77.1% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 77.9% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 78.6% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 79.2% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 79.8% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 80.5% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 81.2% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 82.8% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 84.6% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 83.3% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 82.3% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 82.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 85.6% | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 86.4% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 86.2% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 88.1% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 89.3% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 91.4% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 91.9% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 93.3% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 94.5% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 95.8% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 97.0% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 97.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 87.5% | -9.8% |
| 2024 | 90.1% | +3.0% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 90.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 97.0%, 93% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 90.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 100.0%, 90% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.3% | 73.5% | 77.1% | 6 |
| 2000s | 81.0% | 77.9% | 84.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.9% | 82.3% | 94.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.5% | 87.5% | 97.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
More energy & mining data for Vanuatu
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 5.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 18.2% (2011)
- Ores and metals imports 0.5% (2011)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Vanuatu?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Vanuatu was 90.1% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 97.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.5% in 1994.
- How does Vanuatu rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Vanuatu ranks 177th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The definition used in international statistics adopts a very low cutoff for what it means to ‘have access to electricity’. It is defined as having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.