Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 2.1 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 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 88.9% more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
have 95.5% fewer doctors per person
North Korea has 36.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2017. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 30.9% less access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 69.0% more likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 43.2% more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 49.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
Environment
be 33.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 65.2% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.