If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 95.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 14.0 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 46.9% more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 71.2% more likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 18.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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be 76.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.

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make 7.3 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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Life

be 85.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.3 times more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.

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be 75.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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.

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have 40.1% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 3.5 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% 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.

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be 5.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.

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be 2.4 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 87% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 61.4% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 4.2 times more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 51.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 58.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 41.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.

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emit 14.5 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

Vanuatu: At a glance

Vanuatu is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 12,189 sq km. Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.
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How big is Vanuatu compared to Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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