Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 12.4 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 3.8 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 97.4% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 93.8% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 43.4% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 88.8% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.9 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 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 Japan, 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 8.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Japan, 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 18.3% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 12.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Japan, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Vanuatu, 87% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 61.6% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 91.5% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 43.5% more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 4.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.0% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 88.9% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.