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

Health

be 17.6% less likely to be obese

In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 9.7 years less

In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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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see 97.9% less spent on your healthcare

United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.

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have 46.6% less access to essential health services

United Kingdom scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.

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be 64.7% more likely to die by suicide

United Kingdom has a suicide rate of 9.6 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 14.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In United Kingdom, 18.6% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.

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make 93.0% less money

United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $57,602 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.8 times more children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 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 12.5 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 Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 3.5 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 Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.4 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In United Kingdom, 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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be 26.8% less likely to have internet access

In United Kingdom, approximately 95.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.

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be 12.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In United Kingdom, 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.

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Expenditures

spend 63.0% less on healthcare

United Kingdom spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 29.3% more on education

United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 79.7% less coastline

United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

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Safety

be 70.5% less likely to be murdered

United Kingdom has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 5.2 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 Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 97.2% less home broadband

United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 79.4% less CO2

United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 4.4 times more likely to die from air pollution

In United Kingdom, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), 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 United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.

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