Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 4.6 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 46.2% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 83.8% less spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 20.3% less access to essential health services
Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.
make 52.4% less money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
be 35.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 37.6% more children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Marshall Islands, 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.
Expenditures
spend 69.3% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.8 times more coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Infrastructure
find 50.6% less home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.