Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Kiribati, you would:
Health
live 5.1 years longer
In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 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.
be 50.5% less likely to be obese
In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 64.8% less spent on your healthcare
Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
Economy
make 57.8% more money
Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Kiribati, 5.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.
Life
be 62.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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.
be 25.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Kiribati, approximately 80.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.8% less likely to be literate
In Kiribati, the literacy rate is 98.6% as of 2020. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 10.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% 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.
be 35.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Kiribati, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 94% 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 21.9% less likely to have internet access
In Kiribati, approximately 89.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 53.4% less on education
Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 62.4% less on healthcare
Kiribati spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 38.7 times more home broadband
Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 16.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 47.5% more CO2
Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kiribati vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.