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

Health

be 44.2% less likely to be obese

In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 12.9 years less

In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 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 94.5% less spent on your healthcare

Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.

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have 92.8% fewer doctors per person

Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.

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have 39.7% less access to essential health services

Kuwait scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.

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be 6.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 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 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 87.5% less money

Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.8 times more children

In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 12.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 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 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 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 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Kuwait, 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.

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be 30.1% less likely to have internet access

In Kuwait, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.

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be 12.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Kuwait, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Vanuatu, 87% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 16.9% less on healthcare

Kuwait spends 5.0% 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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spend 18.6% more on education

Kuwait spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 5.1 times more coastline

Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

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Safety

be 32.0% more likely to be murdered

Kuwait has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 35.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 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 14.9% more home broadband

Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 96.3% less CO2

Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 26.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.

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