If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Gambia, you would:

Health

be 92.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Gambia, 1.3% 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 5.6 years longer

In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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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see 50.0% more spent on your healthcare

Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.

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be 82.2% more likely to be obese

In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 3.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 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 22.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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be 70.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.

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make 4.4 times more money

Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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Life

be 71.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Gambia, approximately 354.0 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 70.3% more likely to be literate

In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.

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be 56.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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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Basic Needs

be 41.2% more likely to have internet access

In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.

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Expenditures

spend 2.7 times more on education

Gambia spends 2.8% 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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spend 42.6% more on healthcare

Gambia spends 2.9% 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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Geography

see 31.6 times more coastline

Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

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Safety

be 43.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 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 2.2 times more home broadband

Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 36.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.8 times more CO2

Gambia emits 0.2 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 (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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