Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
live 12.4 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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 28.9% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 98.2% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 96.3% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 44.7% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 13.7% more likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 93.6% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 7.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sweden, 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.
be 27.0% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 12.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% 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.
Expenditures
spend 63.3% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 21.4% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 71.3% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 6.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.1% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 75.6% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.