If you lived in Tuvalu instead of United Kingdom, you would:

Health

live 14.1 years less

In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 65.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 74.7% less spent on your healthcare

United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tuvalu spends $1,671 as of 2023.

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have 59.2% fewer doctors per person

United Kingdom has 33.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.

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have 40.9% less access to essential health services

United Kingdom scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tuvalu scores 52 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 89.5% less money

United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $57,602 as of 2025, while in Tuvalu, the GDP per capita is $6,041 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.2 times more children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 21.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United Kingdom, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 15.0% less likely to have internet access

In United Kingdom, approximately 95.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tuvalu, about 81.2% do as of 2022.

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Expenditures

spend 2.2 times more on education

United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Tuvalu spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 2.4 times more on healthcare

United Kingdom spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 27.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 99.8% less coastline

United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.

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Safety

be 7.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In United Kingdom, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tuvalu, they kill 17.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 89.3% less home broadband

United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tuvalu has 4.5 as of 2022.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Tuvalu: At a glance

Tuvalu is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 26 sq km. In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period.
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How big is Tuvalu compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.

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