World Sites & Apps
Oceania · #178 · 2025–2026

Vanuatu: internet and everyday apps

Vanuatu has about 250 thousand people online — a penetration rate of 75.8% and rank #178 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 8 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 250 thousand Penetration 75.8% World rank #178 Updated 2026-11-12
Language EnglishFrançais
TL;DR
  • Vanuatu has roughly 250 thousand internet users (250,000 people) — about 75.8% of the population and rank #178 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, Instagram. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Payments, Travel and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Vanuatu in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
250 thousand250,000 · #178
Penetration
75.8%#129
Population
330 thousand330,000 · #178
GDP
$1B#203
GDP growth
+3.8%#84
GDP per person
$3,939#156
Land area
12.2k km²#160
Capital
Port Vila
Region
Oceania
Official languages
Bislama, English, French

How Vanuatu goes online

Port Vila's phone screens fill up fast when a cyclone forms. Facebook and WhatsApp carry the warnings, the evacuation notices and the family check-ins, and the Vanuatu Daily Post is the site people refresh for detail. Tourism pages do the selling in the quiet months, and bank apps handle payments for those who have them set up. Outside the main islands, coverage is thin and the radio still matters. The country knows how quickly a network can go down, and most people keep a plan for that.

Around 75.8%. With a population of about 330 thousand and 250 thousand online, roughly 80 thousand people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 8 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

8 Most-used apps

Messaging

2 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009 Messenger Messaging · Meta · 2011

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Facebook Social · Meta · 2004 Instagram Social · Meta · 2010

Video

2 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005 TikTok Video · ByteDance · 2016

Payments

1 Most-used apps →
PayPal Payments · PayPal · 1998

Travel

1 Most-used apps →
Booking.com Travel · Booking Holdings · 1996

Websites people in Vanuatu actually use

9

The 9 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

News2Travel1Transport1Banking1Telecom1Utilities1Government1Mail1
Vanuatu Daily PostNewsdailypost.vuThe Daily Post sits on the counter at the nakamal, and I check the site after a big rain to see which road is closed. Vanuatu IndependentNewsvanuatuindependent.comThe Independent prints the letters and the land rows the Daily Post leaves out. Vanuatu TourismTravelvanuatu.travelVisitors always ask which island to pick, so I send them to vanuatu.travel and let the site argue for me. Air VanuatuTransportairvanuatu.comI book my island hops on airvanuatu.com, because the schedule moves and the site knows first. Reserve Bank of VanuatuBankingrbv.gov.vuThe Reserve Bank publishes the rates the money changers in Port Vila use, so I check it before I change anything or send money to family. Vodafone VanuatuTelecomvodafone.vuThe main mobile network. UNELCOUtilitiesunelco.com.vuPower and water. Government of VanuatuGovernmentgov.vuMinistries, notices and the cyclone bulletins. Vanuatu PostMailvanuatupost.vuThe postal service, and the underwater post office.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in Vanuatu are online?

About 250 thousand (250,000 people). That works out to roughly 75.8% of the population, which puts Vanuatu at #178 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Vanuatu use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, Instagram — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Payments, Travel. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Vanuatu?

WhatsApp, Messenger dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Vanuatu?

Around 75.8%. With a population of about 330 thousand and 250 thousand online, roughly 80 thousand people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Vanuatu?

The everyday ones are Vanuatu Daily Post, Vanuatu Independent, Vanuatu Tourism, plus the other 9 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Vanuatu: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/vu.html