If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Timor-Leste, you would:

Health

live 3.8 years longer

In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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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be 6.3 times more likely to be obese

In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 69.4% less spent on your healthcare

Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.

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have 78.2% fewer doctors per person

Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.

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be 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide

Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 3.0 times more money

Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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Life

be 47.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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 26.7% more likely to be literate

In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.

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be 58.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 27.0% more children

In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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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Basic Needs

be 71.5% more likely to have internet access

In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.

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be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Timor-Leste, 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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Expenditures

spend 57.1% less on healthcare

Timor-Leste spends 9.6% 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 45.8% more on education

Timor-Leste spends 5.2% 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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Geography

see 3.6 times more coastline

Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

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Infrastructure

find 116.0 times more home broadband

Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 74.0% more CO2

Timor-Leste emits 0.5 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), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2022), The World Factbook. 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 Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.

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