Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tuvalu instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
see 11.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tuvalu spends $1,671 as of 2023.
have 8.2 times more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.
have 10.6% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tuvalu scores 52 as of 2021.
live 4.4 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 65.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 49.6% more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Tuvalu, the GDP per capita is $6,041 as of 2025.
Life
be 13.7% more likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Tuvalu, it is 100.0% as of 2022.
be 70.0% 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 Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.6% 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 Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do as of 2024.
have 20.5% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 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 Tuvalu, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 16.2% more likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Tuvalu, about 81.2% do as of 2022.
be 13.3% 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 Tuvalu, that number is 99% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 68.2% more on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Tuvalu spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 6.6 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tuvalu, that number is 27.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.1% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.
Safety
be 43.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tuvalu, they kill 17.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.9 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tuvalu has 4.5 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Tuvalu
Tuvalu: At a glance
How big is Tuvalu compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.