Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Moldova instead of Vanuatu, you would:

Health

see 8.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Moldova spends $1,181 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 51.1% more access to essential health services

Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Moldova scores 71 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 10.1% less likely to die by suicide

Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Moldova, it is 14.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 70.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Moldova, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 2.1 times more money

Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Moldova, the GDP per capita is $8,622 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 81.0% less 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 Moldova, 19.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 13.2% more likely to be literate

In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Moldova, it is 99.6% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

have 61.7% fewer children

In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Moldova, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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 Moldova, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 10.7% more likely to have internet access

In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Moldova, about 77.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 14.1% less on education

Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Moldova spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 63.6% more on healthcare

Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Moldova, that number is 6.7% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 27.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Moldova, they kill 9.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 7.7 times more likely to be murdered

Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Moldova, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 25.5 times more home broadband

Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Moldova has 29.6 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 3.9 times more CO2

Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Moldova emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Moldova

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Moldova is 62.3% cheaper than Vanuatu overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Vanuatu is about 2.8 times smaller than Moldova.
→
Moving from Vanuatu to Moldova · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Moldova: At a glance

Moldova is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 32,891 sq km. Part of Romania during the interwar period, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although the country has been independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River supporting the separatist region of Transnistria, composed of a Slavic majority population (mostly Ukrainians and Russians), but with a sizeable ethnic Moldovan minority. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a communist, Vladimir VORONIN, as its president in 2001. VORONIN served as Moldova's president until he resigned in September 2009, following the opposition's gain of a narrow majority in July parliamentary elections and the Communist Party's (PCRM) subsequent inability to attract the three-fifths of parliamentary votes required to elect a president and, by doing so, put into place a permanent government. Four Moldovan opposition parties formed a new coalition, the Alliance for European Integration (AEI), iterations of which have acted as Moldova's governing coalitions since. Moldova experienced significant political uncertainty between 2009 and early 2012, holding three general elections and numerous presidential ballots in parliament, all of which failed to secure a president. Following November 2010 parliamentary elections, a reconstituted AEI-coalition consisting of three of the four original AEI parties formed a government, and in March 2012 was finally able to elect an independent as president. As of late May 2013, the ruling coalition - comprised of two of the original AEI parties and a splinter group from a third - is called the Pro-European Coalition. In November 2013, the Moldovan Government initialed an Association Agreement with the European Union (EU), advancing the coalition's policy priority of EU integration.
Read more

How big is Moldova compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Moldova or Vanuatu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.