Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
live 10.4 years longer
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 39.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 22.0 times more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 80.9% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 24.2% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 50.7% more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 12.3 times more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.0% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.2% less 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 60.1% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 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 Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 33.8% more likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
be 14.8% more 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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.8% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.0 times more coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 47.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.4 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 32.8 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 78.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.9 times more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.