Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
see 8.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 59.6% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Turkmenistan scores 75 as of 2021.
be 56.6% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.5 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 15.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 61.9% more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.0% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.6% more likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, it is 99.9% as of 2022.
be 2.1 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
have 24.4% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 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 Turkmenistan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 14.7% 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 Turkmenistan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 63.8% less likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 43.8% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 33.5% more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 36.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.5 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
Environment
be 52.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.5 times more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.