If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:

Health

be 43.7% less likely to be obese

In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 7.3 years less

In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 95.9% less spent on your healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.

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have 36.5% less access to essential health services

Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.

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be 16.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 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 66.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 88.3% less money

Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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Life

have 67.6% more children

In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 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 14.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 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 10.2% less likely to be literate

In Saudi Arabia, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2024. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.

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be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.

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be 12.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 100% 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 27.6% less on healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% 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 70.5% more on education

Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 64.9% less likely to be murdered

Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 32.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 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 97.4% less home broadband

Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 37.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.

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emit 95.3% less CO2

Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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