Country page · East Asia & Pacific
If you were born in Vanuatu
1 in 14,475 babies · 0.01% of births · about 9,268 a year
Right now, about 0.01% of the world's babies are born in Vanuatu — 1 in 14,475, or roughly 9,268 a year and 25 a day. Life expectancy there is 71.7 years.
How the 1 in 14,475 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Vanuatu has about 9,268 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.01% — 1 in 14,475. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Vanuatu, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 74.1 · men 69.6 | 71.7 years | 105th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 17.1 / 1,000 | 1.7% | 92nd lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 14.4 / 1,000 | 1.4% | 90th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 100 | 110th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 3.57 | 132nd lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 10.6 years | 127th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 4.9% | 153rd highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $4,525 | 140th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 32.30 | 112th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 22.3% | 167th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 44.5% | 141st lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 22.4% | 153rd highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 0.3 | 9th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 8.4% | 10th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.10% | 141st highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 24.9% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Vanuatu compared with East Asia & Pacific
Life expectancy in Vanuatu is 71.7 years, against a East Asia & Pacific average of 74.8. The under-5 death rate is 1.7%, versus 1.8% across the region. Income per person is $4,525, against $34,115 regionally; expected schooling is 10.6 years against 13.2. 22.3% of people live in cities, against 59.6% in the region.
| Indicator | Vanuatu | East Asia & Pacific | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 71.7 yrs | 74.8 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 1.7% | 1.8% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $4,525 | $34,115 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 10.6 yrs | 13.2 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 22.3% | 59.6% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 71.7 years on average, with roughly 17.1 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 10.6 years of school, and income per person is around $4,525. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Vanuatu
The game draws Vanuatu in about 1 of every 14,475 births. From there the life runs year by year: 71.7 years of life expectancy on average, a 1.7% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $4,525 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Fiji — 1 in 8,047
- Chance of being born in Solomon Islands — 1 in 5,989
- Chance of being born in Timor-Leste — 1 in 4,344
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Vanuatu?
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Is Vanuatu a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.