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Vanuatu: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated · UN World Population Prospects

Vanuatu has a population of 342,564 (UN estimate, 2026), with Port Vila as its capital. The 9 largest of its 9 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+84%
since 2000 (186,281)
+56%
projected by 2050 (534,388)
28
people per km²
19501975200020252050 52k 534k
UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.
Full UN series, 1950 to 2050
YearPopulation
195051,541
1975100,269
2000186,281
2005210,760
2010238,248
2015266,101
2020298,858
2025335,169
2026342,564
2030 projected372,428
2050 projected534,388

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Vanuatu

#PlaceRegionPopulation
1Port-VilaShefa35,901
2LuganvilleSanma13,397
3NorsupMalampa2,998
4PangoShefa2,485
5IsangelTafea1,437
6Port-OlrySanma1,300
7SolaTorba1,171
8Hog HarbourSanma1,000
9LakatoroMalampa705

Twenty years earlier: Vanuatu in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 213,364.

Common questions

What is the population of Vanuatu?
Vanuatu has a population of 342,564, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 534,388 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Vanuatu?
Port Vila. The largest place we record there is Port-Vila, with 35,901 people.

Go deeper

Port-Vila
The largest place we record in Vanuatu: 35,901 people
Vanuatu in 2005
The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 213,364 then
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