Government spending as share of GDP in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Government spending as share of GDP was 41.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending as share of GDP in Vanuatu, 1991–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Vanuatu recorded 41.1% for government spending as share of gdp in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 76.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Vanuatu peaked at 44.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 18.3%, in 2005.
Vanuatu ranks 39th of 151 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 33.2% | — |
| 1992 | 31.8% | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 26.2% | -17.7% |
| 1994 | 24.4% | -7.0% |
| 1995 | 28.0% | +14.8% |
| 1996 | 24.5% | -12.5% |
| 1997 | 22.2% | -9.2% |
| 1998 | 27.9% | +25.5% |
| 1999 | 23.9% | -14.4% |
| 2000 | 25.4% | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 22.3% | -12.2% |
| 2002 | 22.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 18.8% | -15.6% |
| 2004 | 18.5% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 20.1% | +9.9% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | +11.7% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | +23.8% |
| 2009 | 27.6% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 28.3% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 25.1% | -11.3% |
| 2012 | 24.5% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 22.9% | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 23.3% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 42.4% | +82.0% |
| 2016 | 35.2% | -17.0% |
| 2017 | 37.1% | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 33.3% | -10.5% |
| 2019 | 39.8% | +19.7% |
| 2020 | 43.4% | +8.9% |
| 2021 | 44.4% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 42.0% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 41.6% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 41.1% | -1.2% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 41.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.3%, 1.8× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 41.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30.8%, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending as share of GDP in Vanuatu changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +82.0% | 23.3% | 42.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.9% | 22.2% | 33.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 18.3% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.2% | 22.9% | 42.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.5% | 41.1% | 44.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
More economy & growth data for Vanuatu
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.2699 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.49 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 2.79 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0021 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 8.5 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 28.86 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 211.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0222 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 88.05 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -4.52 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Vanuatu?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Vanuatu was 41.1% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.3% in 2005.
- How does Vanuatu rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Vanuatu ranks 39th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vanuatu data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.