Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 28.6% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
live 11.4 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 96.2% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 42.7% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 9.2 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 92.0% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.0% less likely to be literate
In United Arab Emirates, the literacy rate is 98.8% as of 2024. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.
be 3.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 30.1% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 17.1% less on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 96.4% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 91.8% more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 52.2% less likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.2% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 18.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 95.2% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.