Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 44.9% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
live 7.2 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 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.
see 99.0% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 95.5% fewer doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 45.3% less access to essential health services
United States scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.7% more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 95.5% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 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 States, 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 26.2% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 94.7% 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 States, 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 75.3% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 41.0% more on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 87.3% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 94.3% less likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 12.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.0% less home broadband
United States has 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 93.6% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United States vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.