Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Gabon, you would:

Health

live 5.4 years longer

In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In Vanuatu, that number is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

be 68.0% more likely to be obese

In Gabon, 15.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Vanuatu, that number is 25.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 75.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Gabon, 20.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.

be 52.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Gabon, 33.4% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.

make 84.8% less money

Gabon has a GDP per capita of $19,800 as of 2023, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $3,000 as of 2023.

Life

be 58.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Gabon, approximately 227.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Vanuatu, 94.0 women do as of 2020.

be 49.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Gabon, approximately 28.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.3 children do as of 2022.

have 19.1% fewer children

In Gabon, there are approximately 25.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 20.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 25.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Gabon, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Vanuatu, that number is 70% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 28.1% less on education

Gabon spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Vanuatu spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 17.6% more on healthcare

Gabon spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.9 times more coastline

Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.

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