Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
be 70.4% less likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
have 26.8% more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
be 44.2% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.6 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 59.1% less spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 10.6% less access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 80.0% less money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 47.8% more children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.1% less likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 64.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 71.9% less likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 59.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 62.8% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 10.7% less on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.5% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 30.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.4% less home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 93.1% less CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 26.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.