If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 9.1 years less

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 55.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 90.9% less money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $44,321 as of 2022, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 88.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Virgin Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.4 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 38.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Virgin Islands, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 62% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 12.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Virgin Islands, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Vanuatu, 87% of people do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 13.4 times more coastline

Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

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Infrastructure

find 88.5% less home broadband

Virgin Islands has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Vanuatu: At a glance

Vanuatu is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 12,189 sq km. Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.
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How big is Vanuatu compared to Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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