weighted score 3.8 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Vanuatu
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Vanuatu-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
3
No major TVPRA listings. Some seasonal worker concerns in agriculture. Small formal economy. Monitoring capacity weak but structural risk relatively low.
Worker rights & FOA
3
Freedom of association permitted. Union activity limited. Informal economy dominates. Formal protections exist but enforcement constrained.
OHS & audit transparency
4
Limited industrial activity. OHS frameworks basic. Audit infrastructure minimal. Cyclone damage cycles disrupt any workplace safety improvements.
Food & product safety
3
Kava and cocoa exports have quality frameworks. SPS capacity limited. Development partner support for food safety. Small export volumes.
Environmental & regulatory
3
Low industrial activity. Strong climate advocacy. No major EUDR-relevant exports. Marine conservation commitments. Environmental enforcement basic.
Governance & anti-corruption
5
CPI 47. Political instability with frequent government changes. Offshore financial centre raises AML/CFT concerns. FATF scrutiny. Citizenship-by-investment programme controversial.
Tariff & preferential access
4
LDC graduation (2020) progressively reducing EBA access. Transition period applies. Future terms less favourable. Melanesian Spearhead Group access.
Non-tariff barriers
4
SPS capacity constraints create compliance challenges. Development partner support mitigates. Offshore finance scrutiny adds due diligence burden for financial transactions.
Supply chain traceability
5
Limited traceability infrastructure. Kava supply chain informal. Cocoa has some traceability via cooperatives. Overall mapping capacity minimal.
Labour & Governance
Labour & Governance
- Forced labour risk
- No major TVPRA listings for Vanuatu. Some concerns about seasonal worker exploitation in agriculture (copra, kava). Small formal economy limits structural forced labour risk but monitoring capacity is weak.
- Governance
- CPI score of 47 (2025) indicates moderate corruption concerns. Political instability with frequent coalition changes. Offshore financial centre status has raised FATF concerns about AML/CFT compliance.
- Worker rights
- Freedom of association exists but union activity is limited. Labour market dominated by informal/subsistence economy. Formal sector worker protections exist but enforcement capacity is constrained.
Trade Access & Regulatory
Trade Access & Regulatory
- LDC graduation
- Vanuatu graduated from LDC status in 2020. EBA duty-free access to the EU is being phased out during the transition period. Future tariff terms will be less favourable.
- Offshore finance concerns
- Vanuatu's offshore financial centre and citizenship-by-investment programmes have drawn scrutiny from FATF and the EU. Due diligence requirements for financial flows involving Vanuatu are elevated.
- SPS capacity
- Sanitary and phytosanitary standards capacity is limited. Agricultural exports (kava, cocoa) face compliance challenges meeting importing country standards. Development partner support assists.