Pre-Trip Information

Vanuatu was once known as "New Hebrides." The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980. Today, the total population numbers about 250,000.

Approximately 47,500 people live in the capital, Port Vila. Another 13,700 live in Luganville (or Santo Town) on Espiritu Santo. The remainder live in rural areas. Approximately 2,000 people live and work in New Caledonia

The islands are rugged -- some with forested peaks several thousand feet in elevation -- and isolated both from the rest of the world and from each other. Vanuatu's land area, scattered over about 80 inhabited islands, approximates that of Northern Ireland, but it is dispersed across an expanse of the equatorial Pacific equivalent in size to a good portion of Western Europe.

The people of the archipelago of Vanuatu are known as "ni-Vanuatu." The indigenous population of Vanuatu is predominantly Melanesian, although on some islands, Melanesians have blended with Polynesians. The Melanesian population makes up about 94 percent of the population. Small numbers of Europeans (mostly French, although there are some Australians and New Zealanders) and Asians (generally Vietnamese and Chinese) also reside in the islands. About 4 percent of the population are European while 2 percent are Asian.

The pattern of small settlements with limited outside contact fostered the development of well over 100 distinct Melanesian languages spoken in Vanuatu. The most common local indigenous language, called Bislama, is also the national language. It is generally understood to be a form of Pidgin English. English and French are also official languages.

Most people of Vanuatu are Christians, predominantly belonging to Protestant denominations including Anglican, Presbyterian and Seventh-day Adventist. Christianity has had a profound influence on ni-Vanuatu society, and an estimated 90 percent of the population is affiliated with a Christian denomination. The largest denominations are Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Anglican. John Frum, a syncretic sect, also is important on Tanna Island. However, many professed Christians also continue some degree of indigenous religious practices, and some "ni-Vanuatu" adhere solely to their traditional animist faiths.


Health and Welfare

According to recent estimates, the population of Vanuatu has a life expectancy at birth of 63.61 years of age ( 62.04 years for males and  65.27 years for females).  Vanuatu has an infant mortality rate of 50.77  deaths per 1,000 live births. In terms of literacy, 75 percent of the population, age 15 and over, can read and write.

About  4.8 percent of GDP is spent in this country on educational expenditures. About four percent of GDP is spend on health expenditures. Access to sanitation, water,  and health care is considered to be good; however, sanitation standards are less than optimal in rural areas.


Human Development

One notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a recent ranking of 177 countries, the HDI placed Vanuatu in the medium human development category, at 120th place. But in the most recent HDI ranking, Vanuatu was omitted.

Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.

As well, the "Happy Planet Index" recently evaluated 178 countries for general levels of happiness among populations and found that Vanuatu topped the list as the place with the happiest people in the world.  This index measures life satisfaction, life expectancy and ecological footprint to determine its ranking.