Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
live 12.0 years longer
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 62.9% less likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 36.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 15.9 times more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 89.4% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 75.0% more likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 9.0 times more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.0% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 84.0% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 83.0% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 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 South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 40.1% more likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Korea, about 97.9% 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 as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.2% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 44.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 45.5% more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 41.2 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 66.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.1 times more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.