Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
be 45.1% less likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
be 69.4% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 13.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Vanuatu, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 5.6 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 33.3% less spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
Economy
be 28.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.
make 77.2% less money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.5 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.3% less likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
be 2.3 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.2% less likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.2% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 29.9% less on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.8% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
be 76.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 55.2% less home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 79.3% less CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 57.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.