Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
see 6.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
have 25.5% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Marshall Islands scores 59 as of 2021.
live 4.6 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 86.0% more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 54.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Marshall Islands, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2019.
make 2.1 times more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
be 55.0% 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.6% 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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
have 27.3% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 62.3% more 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 3.3 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 85.3% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.
Infrastructure
find 2.0 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.