Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
live 4.9 years less
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 77 years (72 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.
be 38.0% more likely to be obese
In Thailand, 16.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 86.8% less spent on your healthcare
Thailand spends $1,067 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 69.7% fewer doctors per person
Thailand has 5.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 42.7% less access to essential health services
Thailand scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 0.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Thailand, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.
make 49.9% less money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $8,057 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.4 times more children
In Thailand, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 34.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 87.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 7.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Thailand, 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 23.1% less likely to have internet access
In Thailand, approximately 90.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 12.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Thailand, 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 3.0 times more on education
Thailand spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 21.5% less coastline
Thailand has a total of 3,219 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 50.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Thailand, road accidents kill 25.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.2% less home broadband
Thailand has 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 78.0% less CO2
Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 96.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Thailand, air pollution causes 29.0 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), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Thailand vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.