Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
live 12.8 years less
In Switzerland, 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 99.9% more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 98.7% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 96.3% fewer doctors per person
Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 45.3% less access to essential health services
Switzerland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 12.2% more likely to die by suicide
Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 96.5% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 20.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Switzerland, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Switzerland, 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 28.2% less likely to have internet access
In Switzerland, approximately 97.3% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 12.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Switzerland, 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 64.8% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 57.2% more on education
Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 45.0% less likely to be murdered
Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 5.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.5% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 76.8% less CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.