Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
live 7.3 years longer
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
make 7.2 times more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.
Life
have 49.3% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 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 New Caledonia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 17.3% more likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.
be 14.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In New Caledonia, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 10.8% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.
Infrastructure
find 16.7 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 19.6 times more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021), United Nations SDG Indicators (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. New Caledonia
New Caledonia: At a glance
How big is New Caledonia compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.