Vanuatu is a relatively traditional Pacific island country. About 80 percent of its population is rural, and poor. The economic divide between the country’s urban and rural populations is extreme. Like many other countries in the region, Vanuatu has high levels of public and private social service investment and, given this investment, is trying to obtain better outcomes and better performance from service providers.

The objective of this brief is to highlight areas for improvement in the provision of social services in Vanuatu.