Vanuatu : Recent Economic Developments

This paper describes economic developments in Vanuatu during the 1990s. In 1993, real GDP growth rebounded to 4½ percent. Agricultural output recovered from the effects of the 1992 cyclones, and construction activities picked up on account of cyclone rehabilitation and a new stadium. Reflecting increased import demand associated with these activities, as well as substantially lower export prices and weak tourism receipts, the external current account registered a deficit equivalent to 6 percent of GDP. Inflation slowed to less than 2 percent in line with the trend in import prices.