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

Health

be 48.6% less likely to be obese

In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 45.6% more spent on your healthcare

Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Senegal spends $206 as of 2023.

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be 57.0% less likely to die by suicide

Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 2.7 years less

In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 46.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Senegal, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.

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be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Senegal, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2021.

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make 51.6% less money

Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $1,955 as of 2025.

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Life

be 2.4 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 Senegal, 237.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 42.7% less likely to be literate

In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Senegal, it is 50.4% as of 2023.

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be 2.0 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 28.9 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 20.5% 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 Senegal, that number is 74% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 14.0% less likely to have internet access

In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Senegal, about 60.1% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 19.4% less on education

Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Senegal spends 6.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 79.0% less coastline

Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.

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Safety

be 66.4% more likely to die in a road accident

In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Senegal, they kill 20.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 3.5 times more home broadband

Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Senegal has 4.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 11.5% less CO2

Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 14.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Senegal, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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