Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
live 7.2 years longer
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 95.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 22.4 times more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 83.0% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 81.5% more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 17.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 22.3 times more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 83.0% 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 United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 61.8% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 61.7% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 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 United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 35.5% more likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In United States, about 94.7% 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 (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.1% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 4.1 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.9 times more coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 17.5 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 13.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 33.5 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 75.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.7 times more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.