Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Vietnam instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

be 96.7% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 72.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.

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have 47.8% more access to essential health services

Cook Islands scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.

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live 2.4 years less

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Vietnam, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 17.7% fewer doctors per person

Cook Islands has 13.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.

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Life

be 24.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Vietnam, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 10.9% more children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 29.9% more likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Vietnam, about 84.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 37.2% less on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Vietnam spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 42.5% more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 28.7 times more coastline

Cook Islands has a total of 120 km of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 km.

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Safety

be 57.1% less likely to be murdered

Cook Islands has a homicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2011.

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Infrastructure

find 30.1% more home broadband

Cook Islands has 18.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2020–2024), World Bank (2021–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cook Islands vs. Vietnam

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
Vietnam is 45.0% cheaper than Cook Islands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Cook Islands is about 1,403 times smaller than Vietnam.
→
Moving from Cook Islands to Vietnam · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Vietnam: At a glance

Vietnam (sometimes abbreviated SRV) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 310,070 sq km. The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the communist North and anti-communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies, the persecution and mass exodus of individuals - many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants - and growing international isolation. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The communist leaders, however, maintain control on political expression and have resisted outside calls to improve human rights. The country continues to experience small-scale protests from various groups - the vast majority connected to land-use issues, calls for increased political space, and the lack of equitable mechanisms for resolving disputes. Various ethnic minorities, such as the Montagnards of the Central Highlands and the Khmer Krom in the southern delta region, have also held protests.
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How big is Vietnam compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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