Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of China, you would:
Health
live 6.4 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 90.5% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 94.7% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 42.0% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 75.8% more likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 70.9% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.1 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 4.1 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 China, 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 23.7% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 30.6% less on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 95.9% more on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 82.6% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 34.0% less likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 28.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.5% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 10.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 90.7% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.