If you lived in Tuvalu instead of Canada, you would:

Health

live 14.8 years less

In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.5 times more likely to be obese

In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 65.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 78.1% less spent on your healthcare

Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tuvalu spends $1,671 as of 2023.

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have 52.3% fewer doctors per person

Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.

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have 42.9% less access to essential health services

Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tuvalu scores 52 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Canada, 9.4% live below the poverty line as of 2008. In Tuvalu, however, that number is 26.3% as of 2010.

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make 89.2% less money

Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Tuvalu, the GDP per capita is $6,041 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 14.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Canada, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Canada, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 13.9% less likely to have internet access

In Canada, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tuvalu, about 81.2% do as of 2022.

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Expenditures

spend 2.7 times more on education

Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Tuvalu spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 2.4 times more on healthcare

Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 27.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 100.0% less coastline

Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.

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Safety

be 3.8 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tuvalu, they kill 17.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 89.4% less home broadband

Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tuvalu has 4.5 as of 2022.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), The World Factbook (2008–2010), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Tuvalu: At a glance

Tuvalu is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 26 sq km. In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period.
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How big is Tuvalu compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.

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