Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
be 98.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malawi, 6.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 4.1 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 12.7% more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 3.0 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 6.0 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
be 55.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 225.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.7% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.
be 62.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 38.0 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.
have 11.2% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 3.9 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 16% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 6% 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 3.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 19.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 70% 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 36.9% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.8 times more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 38.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.9 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 32.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.0 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.