Vanuatu graduated on 4 December 2020 (see General Assembly resolutions here). It is no longer an LDC.

On 14 December 2020 the General Assembly issued a resolution on the graduation of Vanuatu from the LDC category in which it commends the country for its graduation, welcomes the adoption of the smooth transition strategy, expresses deep concern at the severe consequences of Cyclone Harold (April 2020) and the closure of borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and exceptionally invites development and trading partners to support the implementation of the smooth transition strategy, "including by extending international support measures, in particular those related to trade, as appropriate, aid for trade and participation in international forums until 4 December 2025".

Vanuatu's LDC Profile (CDP website) (includes CDP reports, ECOSOC and General Assembly resolutions, Vanuatu's performance against the graduation criteria, ex ante assessments of the impacts of graduation, vulnerability profiles, country statements and reports to the CDP and CDP monitoring reports).

Other resources:

Documents on Vanuatu

Show/Hide Filters

Document Title	Topic	Date
CDP Monitoring Reports - Vanuatu Vanuatu was heavily affected by Cyclone Harold and COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Service export (tourism), major income source of the country, has reduced significantly, but the economy is expected to rebound to growth 4-4.5% in coming years.	LDC graduation and smooth transition	28 February 2022
LDC Sustainable Graduation Support Facility - Note December 2021 The UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) in its 2019 plenary recommended that capacity development work be undertaken in support of graduating and graduated countries and requested its secretariat, as part of its capacity development activities and in close collaboration with other relevant Uni	LDC graduation and smooth transition	15 December 2021
Amid cyclones and COVID-19, Vanuatu makes bold decision to graduate from ‘least developed country’ category - Violeta Gonzalez Behar and Michelle Kovacevic for OECD Development matters On 4 December 2020, Vanuatu shed its official classification as one of the world’s least developed countries (LDC). This significant milestone – called ‘graduation’ – is something that only five other countries have managed to achieve in the last 40 years.	LDC graduation and smooth transition	30 April 2021
Vanuatu Smooth Transition Strategy Vanuatu graduated from the LDC category in December 2020. Following extensive national consultation and policy assessment, Vanuatu decided that the best transition strategy was to fully implement the National Sustainable Development Plan(NSDP) ("Vanuatu 2030, Peoples Plan”).		30 December 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic and trade-related developments in LDCs Among the COVID-19 pandemic’s far-reaching consequences for the global economy, the least developed countries (LDCs) face the most daunting challenges.	Trade	08 June 2020
Stratégie de transition sans heurt de Vanuatu	LDC graduation and smooth transition	11 December 2019
Improved assistance measures for graduated and graduating least developed countries for the achievement of agenda 2030 (CDP Policy Review No. 9; Ana L. Cortez) LDC graduation has become an increasingly important issue in the international development agenda. Meeting graduation eligibility is a major goal of the Istanbul Plan of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the decade 201-2020 (IPoA).	LDC graduation and smooth transition	30 September 2019
MFD Working Paper on LDC Graduation: Challenges and Opportunities for Vanuatu Vanuatu will graduate from the least developed country (LDC) category on 4 December 2020. This will be a momentous occasion, heralding a new era in the nation’s development journey. However, it will be essential to carefully manage the transition leading up to, and following graduation.	LDC graduation and smooth transition	09 April 2019
Lessons Learned in Developing Productive Capacity: Fourteen Case Studies, CDP Background Paper no. 37 Developing productive capacities is key for least developed countries (LDCs), and developing countries in general, to overcome their development challenges.	Productive capacity, structural transformation, technology, innovation	01 April 2018