Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tonga instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.
have 6.2 times more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.
have 21.3% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.
be 69.9% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.3 times more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 60.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.
make 62.1% more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.
be 29.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.
Life
be 33.0% 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 Tonga, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.1% more likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Tonga, it is 99.5% as of 2023.
be 45.8% 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 Tonga, on the other hand, 7.8 children do as of 2024.
have 16.7% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 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 Tonga, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 13.5% 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 Tonga, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.5% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 78.6% more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 83.4% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.
Safety
be 32.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Tonga, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
find 7.0 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
emit 87.4% more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Tonga
Tonga: At a glance
How big is Tonga compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.