Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Vietnam, you would:

Health

live 4.2 years longer

In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 5.8 times more money

Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

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be 7.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.

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Geography

see 34.6% less coastline

Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

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Safety

be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered

Vietnam has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In New Caledonia, that number is 3.1 per 100,000 as of 2009.

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Infrastructure

find 18.3% less home broadband

Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 4.0 times more CO2

Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2009–2011). How we calculate this

Compare further: Vietnam vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 2.8 times more expensive than Vietnam overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Vietnam is about 18 times bigger than New Caledonia.
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Moving from Vietnam to New Caledonia · UN DESA 2020
617 people born in Vietnam live in New Caledonia.
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New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.

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