Pacific island fuel crisis.
prob 0.49
severity 3.4 / 5 · revision 2026-05-09elevated · 12 Pacific island economies · diesel + power$ shortage country get VUT > stress_index: 0.62 WATCH > 2 events · 2 scenarios > refreshed 2026-05-17
BRENT $84.27 ▲ TTF €31.50 ▼ OPEC_SP 3.8 mb/d ● SPR_US 372.4 Mb FAO_FFPI 121.4 ▲
The v3.2 stress index is a six-axis composite of energy and food exposure, geopolitical pressure, fiscal headroom, demography and supply concentration, normalised to a 0–1 scale.
Vanuatu, a Pacific archipelago repeatedly ranked among the world's most disaster-exposed nations, imports all of its fuel and much of its food. Power comes from diesel with a growing renewables share. Cyclones and volcanic and seismic activity are constant threats.
Vanuatu faces recurrent El Niño drought and relies on rainwater and fragile freshwater lenses.
| STOCK TYPE | RESERVE | DAYS COVER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil · imported fuel stocksAll fuel is imported to a dispersed, disaster-prone archipelago. | limited | 20days | WATCH |
| Electricity · diesel and renewablesDiesel generation is being supplemented by a growing renewables share. | transitioning | — | WATCH |
| Food · commercial stocksMuch staple food is imported. | limited | 25days | WATCH |
$ curl -s https://api.shortage.life/v1/countries/VUT | jq '.stress' > 0.62