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

Health

be 31.6% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 15.3% more spent on your healthcare

Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.

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live 0.9 years less

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 89.2% fewer doctors per person

Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.

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have 26.6% less access to essential health services

Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.

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be 26.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 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 62.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 3.8 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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Life

be 18.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Syria, approximately 17.7 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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have 19.4% more children

In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 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 5.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 20.0 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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Basic Needs

be 50.0% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.

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be 30.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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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Expenditures

spend 52.0% more on healthcare

Syria spends 2.7% 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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Geography

see 13.1 times more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

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Safety

be 58.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 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 83.1% less home broadband

Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 31.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.

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emit 31.5% less CO2

Syria emits 1.3 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), The World Factbook (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 Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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