Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 54.4% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 55.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Vanuatu, that number is 25.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 36.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Palau, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2006. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.

make 81.0% less money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $15,800 as of 2023, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $3,000 as of 2023.

be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Palau, 1.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2015. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.

Life

have 79.3% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 20.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 27.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Palau, approximately 11.3 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.

Basic Needs

be 77.4% more likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 37.2% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Vanuatu, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

be 30.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Palau, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 97% 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 66.2% less on education

Palau spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Vanuatu spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 78.3% less on healthcare

Palau spends 18.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 66.4% more coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 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 Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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