Summary
- Exports
- $322million
- Imports
- $529million
- Trade balance
- -$207million
Products
What it exports
Frozen fish (38.2%) and dredgers and floating cranes (37.3%) together make up 75.5% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (21.6%) and fishing vessels (11.1%) together make up 32.7% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (90)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $145 million | $1 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $125 million | $66 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $36 million | $226 thousand |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $9 million | $1 million |
| 44 · Wood | $2 million | $8 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $534 thousand | $13 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $463 thousand | $10 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $441 thousand | $28 million |
| 74 · Copper | $410 thousand | $1 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $365 thousand | $945 |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $309 thousand | $110 thousand |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $269 thousand | $4 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $213 thousand | $3 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $203 thousand | $3 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $175 thousand | $398 thousand |
| 76 · Aluminum | $152 thousand | $4 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $123 thousand | $11 thousand |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $105 thousand | $1 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $103 thousand | $43 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $97 thousand | $993 thousand |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $83 thousand | $1 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $81 thousand | $2 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $72 thousand | $123 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $58 thousand | $4 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $57 thousand | $3 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $46 thousand | $0 |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $41 thousand | $5 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $41 thousand | $17 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $32 thousand | $100 thousand |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $29 thousand | $9 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $27 thousand | $3 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $23 thousand | $3 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $21 thousand | $3 million |
| 65 · Hats | $16 thousand | $110 thousand |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $14 thousand | $12 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $13 thousand | $38 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $12 thousand | $357 thousand |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $12 thousand | $1 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $10 thousand | $437 thousand |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $9 thousand | $1 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $9 thousand | $8 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $7 thousand | $4 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $7 thousand | $5 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $6 thousand | $6 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $5 thousand | $13 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $4 thousand | $2 million |
| 78 · Lead | $3 thousand | $2 thousand |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $3 thousand | $3 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $2 thousand | $52 thousand |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $2 thousand | $2 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $2 thousand | $3 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $2 thousand | $1 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $1 thousand | $2 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $1 thousand | $2 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $1 thousand | $3 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $304 | $126 thousand |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $260 | $12 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $225 | $146 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $150 | $785 thousand |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $73 | $102 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $32 | $65 thousand |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $20 | $516 thousand |
| 24 · Tobacco | $12 | $3 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $6 | $334 |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $5 | $8 thousand |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $2 | $843 thousand |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $0 | $15 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $0 | $7 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $0 | $6 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $0 | $5 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $0 | $2 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $0 | $2 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $0 | $1 million |
| 70 · Glass | $0 | $1 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $0 | $703 thousand |
| 05 · Other animal products | $0 | $551 thousand |
| 52 · Cotton | $0 | $436 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $387 thousand |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $0 | $345 thousand |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $0 | $168 thousand |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $0 | $114 thousand |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $0 | $92 thousand |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $90 thousand |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $0 | $52 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $28 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $0 | $9 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $0 | $7 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $7 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $1 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $0 | $116 |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Thailand (65% of exports) and its main source is China (34.5% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 209 | 65% | Sea |
| Japan | 34.3 | 10.7% | Sea |
| China | 19.3 | 6% | Sea |
| United States | 14.2 | 4.4% | Air |
| Philippines | 9.6 | 3% | Sea |
| Fiji | 7.1 | 2.2% | Sea |
| Malaysia | 7.1 | 2.2% | Sea |
| South Korea | 5.9 | 1.8% | Sea |
| Saudi Arabia | 4.1 | 1.3% | Sea |
| Australia | 2.9 | 0.9% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 182 | 34.5% | Sea |
| Malaysia | 75.7 | 14.3% | Sea |
| Australia | 72.1 | 13.6% | Sea |
| New Zealand | 35.5 | 6.7% | Sea |
| Fiji | 33.5 | 6.3% | Sea |
| Singapore | 30.3 | 5.7% | Sea |
| Thailand | 16.5 | 3.1% | Sea |
| Japan | 14.3 | 2.7% | Sea |
| Indonesia | 12.5 | 2.4% | Sea |
| South Korea | 11 | 2.1% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Vanuatu accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 11-fold since 1995
USD millions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 322
- Imports 529
- Balance -207
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $29 million | $114 million | -$85 million |
| 1996 | $42 million | $132 million | -$90 million |
| 1997 | $64 million | $140 million | -$76 million |
| 1998 | $66 million | $107 million | -$40 million |
| 1999 | $66 million | $159 million | -$92 million |
| 2000 | $105 million | $78 million | $27 million |
| 2001 | $66 million | $121 million | -$55 million |
| 2002 | $62 million | $95 million | -$32 million |
| 2003 | $77 million | $157 million | -$80 million |
| 2004 | $227 million | $161 million | $67 million |
| 2005 | $234 million | $178 million | $56 million |
| 2006 | $287 million | $225 million | $62 million |
| 2007 | $304 million | $274 million | $30 million |
| 2008 | $552 million | $333 million | $219 million |
| 2009 | $214 million | $444 million | -$230 million |
| 2010 | $525 million | $960 million | -$435 million |
| 2011 | $763 million | $457 million | $306 million |
| 2012 | $456 million | $511 million | -$56 million |
| 2013 | $289 million | $879 million | -$590 million |
| 2014 | $655 million | $648 million | $7 million |
| 2015 | $924 million | $397 million | $527 million |
| 2016 | $654 million | $338 million | $316 million |
| 2017 | $265 million | $320 million | -$56 million |
| 2018 | $190 million | $284 million | -$94 million |
| 2019 | $178 million | $335 million | -$157 million |
| 2020 | $229 million | $282 million | -$52 million |
| 2021 | $309 million | $371 million | -$61 million |
| 2022 | $229 million | $398 million | -$169 million |
| 2023 | $213 million | $483 million | -$269 million |
| 2024 | $322 million | $529 million | -$207 million |
World rank
Vanuatu rose from 186th to 175th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 186th in 1995
- 175th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 186th |
| 1996 | 182nd |
| 1997 | 176th |
| 1998 | 177th |
| 1999 | 178th |
| 2000 | 174th |
| 2001 | 186th |
| 2002 | 187th |
| 2003 | 186th |
| 2004 | 172nd |
| 2005 | 170th |
| 2006 | 171st |
| 2007 | 172nd |
| 2008 | 169th |
| 2009 | 177th |
| 2010 | 167th |
| 2011 | 165th |
| 2012 | 179th |
| 2013 | 182nd |
| 2014 | 170th |
| 2015 | 160th |
| 2016 | 166th |
| 2017 | 182nd |
| 2018 | 184th |
| 2019 | 187th |
| 2020 | 179th |
| 2021 | 177th |
| 2022 | 184th |
| 2023 | 187th |
| 2024 | 175th |
What it sells
Its top export group is still fish and seafood: 45% in 2024
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 1%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 0%
- Cereals 0%
- Prepared meat and fish 0%
- Wood 1%
- Cocoa and chocolate 3%
- Oilseeds and grains 11%
- Ships and boats 39%
- Fish and seafood 45%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fish and seafood | 34.2% | 45% |
| Ships and boats | 0% | 39% |
| Oilseeds and grains | 19.4% | 11.1% |
| Cocoa and chocolate | 4.3% | 2.9% |
| Wood | 5.5% | 0.52% |
| Prepared meat and fish | 0% | 0.17% |
| Cereals | 0% | 0.14% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 0.12% | 0.14% |
| Other | 36.5% | 1% |
Who it trades with
Japan went from 46% to 6% of Vanuatu's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Thailand 27%
- China 24%
- Malaysia 10%
- Australia 9%
- Japan 6%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 0.61% | 26.6% |
| China | 1.2% | 23.7% |
| Malaysia | 0.7% | 9.7% |
| Australia | 17.7% | 8.8% |
| Japan | 46% | 5.7% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.