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

Health

be 95.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Rwanda, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 3.6 years longer

In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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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have 82.2% more doctors per person

Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.

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be 4.0 times more likely to be obese

In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 20.2% less spent on your healthcare

Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.

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be 81.2% more likely to die by suicide

Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 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 55.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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be 42.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Rwanda, 27.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.

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make 3.6 times more money

Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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Life

be 56.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 11.7% more likely to be literate

In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.

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be 51.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.

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be 41.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 19.7% less on healthcare

Rwanda spends 5.1% 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 65.7% more on education

Rwanda spends 4.6% 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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Safety

be 90.9% less likely to be murdered

Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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Infrastructure

find 93.3% more home broadband

Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 5.4 times more CO2

Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020), United Nations SDG Indicators (2022). 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 Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.

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