Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 11.2 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.0% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 47.2% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 32.1% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 80.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.
make 95.9% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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 Iceland, 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 28.8% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 12.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.
Expenditures
spend 54.1% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 49.1% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 74.4% less likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 5.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 96.9% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 89.8% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.