Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
be 39.1% less likely to be obese
In Brunei, 37.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
live 3.8 years less
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 92.6% less spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 91.3% fewer doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 39.7% less access to essential health services
Brunei scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Brunei has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 87.5% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 67.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Brunei, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 62% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 27.4% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 12.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Brunei, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Vanuatu, 87% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 84.8% more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.7 times more coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 94.5% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 95.7% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.