Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.7 years longer

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Vanuatu, that number is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 33.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.

be 77.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Suriname, 70.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.

make 84.2% less money

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

Life

be 52.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Suriname, approximately 30.2 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 39.6% more children

In Suriname, there are approximately 14.9 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 29.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Suriname, approximately 99% 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 54.0% less on education

Suriname spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Vanuatu spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 41.2% less on healthcare

Suriname spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 6.5 times more coastline

Suriname has a total of 386 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 Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.

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