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Eratap beach, Efate, Vanuatu

Photo: Phillip Capper derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

Topic 13 of 18 · Country Index 2026

Vanuatu: Food & Agriculture

What does a country grow, and what does it take to grow it?

Vanuatu is placed 109th of 175 countries on food & agriculture in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Cereal Yield 632.4 (2023); Organic Agricultural Area 3.98 (2024).

Food & Agriculture

109th

of 175 countries placed

Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics

Country Index 2026, all topics106th of 178 →

01The evidence

The 4 key statistics that decide it

Only these place Vanuatu on food & agriculture — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.

Why these keys

  1. Key 1 of 4

    Cereal Yield

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key: How much food a hectare of land produces: the clearest single measure of how productively a country farms.

    2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 4.0

    632.4

    Cereal yield (kg per hectare)

    Higher is better

    Vanuatu: 632.4. Across the 179 countries in this edition, values run from 23 (Cabo Verde) to 29,147 (Oman); the world median is 3,072.

    World median
    3,072
    Best in Melanesia
    9,790 New Caledonia

    Each grey tick is one of 179 countries in the 2023 edition.

  2. Key 2 of 4

    Organic Agricultural Area

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key: Farmland managed without synthetic fertiliser or pesticide — how a country farms, set beside how much it grows.

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    3.98

    Organic share of agricultural land (%)

    Higher is better

    Vanuatu: 3.98. Across the 156 countries in this edition, values run from 0 (Afghanistan) to 86.38 (Samoa); the world median is 0.725.

    World median
    0.725
    Best in Melanesia
    6.56 Solomon Islands

    Each grey tick is one of 156 countries in the 2024 edition.

  3. Key 3 of 4

    Dietary Energy Supply

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key: Whether the food a country produces and imports covers what its population needs to eat, measured before anyone has eaten it.

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    2,982

    Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)

    Higher is better

    Vanuatu: 2,982. Across the 155 countries in this edition, values run from 1,757 (Somalia) to 3,962 (United States); the world median is 2,982.

    World median
    2,982
    Best in Melanesia
    2,982 Vanuatu

    Each grey tick is one of 155 countries in the 2024 edition.

  4. Key 4 of 4

    Agriculture Orientation Index

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key: How much public spending agriculture attracts set against the share of the economy it produces — whether a state invests in its farms or lives off them.

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    0.23

    Agriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)

    Higher is better

    Vanuatu: 0.23. Across the 132 countries in this edition, values run from 0.03 (Ghana) to 5.38 (Singapore); the world median is 0.305.

    World median
    0.305
    Best in Melanesia
    0.23 Vanuatu

    Each grey tick is one of 132 countries in the 2024 edition.

03In context

Vanuatu beside its neighbours

A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 175 countries on food & agriculture, never a place within the region.

Melanesia
1st175thNot placed · 49 countries with too few key statisticsNo data

The whole world on food & agriculture

Vanuatu and Melanesia

Vanuatu has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. The standing is each country’s place among all 175 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.

CountryStandingCereal YieldCereal yield (kg per hectare)Organic Agricultural AreaOrganic share of agricultural land (%)Dietary Energy SupplyDietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)Agriculture Orientation IndexAgriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)
Fiji51st4,1094.672,959—
Papua New Guinea93rd4,7871.392,162—
Vanuatu109th632.43.982,9820.23
Solomon Islands137th1,9016.562,2310.06
New Caledonianot placed9,790———

“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.

Across Melanesia

Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 175.

Placed either side on food & agriculture

The countries immediately above and below Vanuatu in the topic’s list.

04Context, no vote

Where Vanuatu is ahead of the world, and behind

13 more statistics filed under food & agriculture, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.

Every country

Behind the world median4

Statistics on which Vanuatu does worse than the middle country measured.

  • Prevalence of UndernourishmentFAO · 2023 · world median 5.27.2▼ Worsened since 2013

    Vanuatu: 7.2 · world median 5.2 · Population undernourished (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 54.2; lower is better.

    Position 65th of 104 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Crop Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.2384.55▼ Worsened since 2012

    Vanuatu: 84.55 · world median 106.23 · Crop production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 53.79 to 189.93; higher is better.

    Position 177th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Food Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.0882.96▼ Worsened since 2012

    Vanuatu: 82.96 · world median 106.08 · Food production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 71.08 to 177.49; higher is better.

    Position 186th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Livestock Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 107.0675.5▼ Worsened since 2012

    Vanuatu: 75.5 · world median 107.06 · Livestock production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 35.52 to 190.08; higher is better.

    Position 191st of 194 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

No better end9

These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.

  • Cereal Import Dependency RatioFAO · 2022 · world median 42.898.2Moved since 2012

    Vanuatu: 98.2 · world median 42.8 · Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from -1,894 to 100.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Employment in AgricultureILO · 2025 · world median 14.3844.53No real change since 2015

    Vanuatu: 44.53 · world median 14.38 · Employment in agriculture (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.095 to 85.34.

    Position 30th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Fertilizer Consumption per HectareFAO · 2023 · world median 87.3677.35Moved since 2013

    Vanuatu: 77.35 · world median 87.36 · Fertilizer consumption (kg per hectare of arable land). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 2,926.

    Position 100th of 188 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Livestock DensityFAO · 2023 · world median 0.5350.41Moved since 2013

    Vanuatu: 0.41 · world median 0.535 · Livestock units per hectare of agricultural land. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 43.97.

    Position 115th of 188 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Arable Land per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 0.1090.062No real change since 2013

    Vanuatu: 0.062 · world median 0.109 · Arable land (hectares per person). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1.459.

    Position 140th of 206 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agricultural LandFAO · 2023 · world median 37.9615.34No real change since 2013

    Vanuatu: 15.34 · world median 37.96 · Agricultural land (% of land area). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.445 to 86.48.

    Position 165th of 209 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 2023 · world median 8,635276.73No real change since 2013

    Vanuatu: 276.73 · world median 8,635 · Farm-gate emissions (kt CO₂eq). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1,044,508.

    Position 162nd of 193 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Land Under Cereal ProductionFAO · 2023 · world median 689,2781,555No real change since 2013

    Vanuatu: 1,555 · world median 689,278 · Land under cereal production (hectares). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 103,715,108.

    Position 161st of 179 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Pesticide Use per HectareFAO · 2024 · world median 1.730.13No real change since 2014

    Vanuatu: 0.13 · world median 1.73 · Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 37.72.

    Position 164th of 178 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

No current reading for Vanuatu

Agricultural Irrigated Land, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP) (last 2024), Global Report on Food Crises, Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity (last 2020) and Water Withdrawal by Sector. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.

05Country Index 2026

Food & Agriculture among Vanuatu’s 13 topics

Food & Agriculture is Vanuatu’s 8th best-placed topic of 13. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.

On the profile
  1. Peace & Security17th of 177
  2. Democracy & Civil Libertiesjoint 60th of 198
  3. Work & Labour88th of 182
  4. Governance & Institutions98th of 194
  5. Education & Knowledge89th of 171
  6. Poverty & Inequality85th of 159
  7. Gender & Equality102nd of 183
  8. Food & Agriculture109th of 175
  9. Development & Human Capital123rd of 196
  10. Health & Wellbeing130th of 200
  11. Digital & Technology138th of 198
  12. Economy & Innovationjoint 132nd of 176
  13. Risk & Resilience165th of 192

No standing on Environment & Sustainability, Mobility & Trade, Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.

06The top of the list

Who leads on food & agriculture

The three countries placed highest of 175, and the leaders Vanuatu can most readily be measured against.

All 175 countries
  1. 1

    Austria

    Western Europe

    1st of 175 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Ireland

    Northern Europe

    2nd of 175 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Czechia

    Eastern Europe

    3rd of 175 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: john mcsporran from Trossachs, Scotland · CC BY 2.0, greyscale

Placed highest nearby

  1. Highest in Oceania

    Australia39th4/4 keys

  2. Highest in Melanesia

    Fiji51st3/4 keys

  3. This page

    Vanuatu109th4/4 keys

Positions out of 175 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.

07Questions

Vanuatu on food & agriculture: questions answered

Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.

How does Vanuatu rank on food & agriculture?

Vanuatu is placed 109th of 175 countries on Food & Agriculture in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Cereal Yield, Organic Agricultural Area, Dietary Energy Supply and Agriculture Orientation Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.

What is the latest Cereal Yield figure for Vanuatu?

632.4 in 2023 (cereal yield (kg per hectare)), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3,072.

What is the latest Organic Agricultural Area figure for Vanuatu?

3.98 in 2024 (organic share of agricultural land (%)), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 0.725.

How have Vanuatu’s food & agriculture figures changed?

Cereal Yield rose from 514.8 in 2000 to 632.4 in 2023; Organic Agricultural Area fell from 5.57 in 2006 to 3.98 in 2024; Dietary Energy Supply rose from 2,607 in 2001 to 2,982 in 2024; Agriculture Orientation Index rose from 0.11 in 2004 to 0.23 in 2024.

Which food & agriculture statistics are missing for Vanuatu?

No current reading is published for Vanuatu on Agricultural Irrigated Land, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP), Global Report on Food Crises, Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity and Water Withdrawal by Sector. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.

08Keep reading

Explore further

Food & Agriculture

Vanuatu, topic by topic

09Method

Method, sources and how to cite

What this topic does not measure

This subject is about production and land use, not about whether people are fed. Hunger, undernourishment and what a population actually eats are measured under Health & Wellbeing, and the two regularly disagree — a country can grow a great deal and still leave many people short, and one that grows little can be well fed by trade. The wider environmental cost of farming — emissions, water withdrawal, forest cover — is filed under Environment & Sustainability.

About food & agriculture, in full

How the Food & Agriculture standing is decided, step by step

A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.

  1. A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 18 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
  2. Each key is read at one edition. ⚠ The keys behind this standing do not all describe the same year — they run from 2023 to 2024, because publishers release on their own schedules. Read the standing as “how this country places now”, not as a snapshot of one year.
  3. Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
  4. Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
  5. The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
  6. A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 175 countries clear the bar here.
  7. A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
  8. A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.

The key statistics and their licences

The other 13 statistics on this page come from 2 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.

The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photographs

Vanuatu’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Vanuatu: Food & Agriculture — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/vanuatu/food

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