Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nauru fits inside Vanuatu 580 times
Nauru: 21 km² (2024) · Vanuatu: 12,189 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Vanuatu’s coastline is 84 times as long as Nauru’s
Nauru: 30 km (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 2,528 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vanuatu’s highest peak towers 1,807 m above Nauru’s
Nauru: 70 m (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 1,877 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 16% of Nauru, versus 13% of Vanuatu
Nauru: 16.2% (2024) · Vanuatu: 13.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vanuatu has 28 times as many people as Nauru
Nauru: 12,025 (2025) · Vanuatu: 335,169 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nauru is 21 times as densely populated as Vanuatu
Nauru: 573 per km² (2025) · Vanuatu: 27 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nauru are 1.3 cm taller than in Vanuatu
Nauru: 169.6 cm (2019) · Vanuatu: 168.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Vanuatu are 2.7 cm taller than in Nauru
Nauru: 157.8 cm (2019) · Vanuatu: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Nauru is 0.29 years older than in Vanuatu
Nauru: 20.4 years (2023) · Vanuatu: 20.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vanuatu have 0.3 more children on average than in Nauru
Nauru: 3.29 children per woman (2024) · Vanuatu: 3.57 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.4% of people in Vanuatu are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Nauru
Nauru: 3% (2025) · Vanuatu: 4.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Nauru: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025) · Vanuatu: 0 per 1,000 (2025)
How many official languages?
Vanuatu has 3 official languages, Nauru 2
Nauru: 2 (2026) · Vanuatu: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Vanuatu’s economy is 7.7 times the size of Nauru’s
Nauru: $176 million (2025) · Vanuatu: $1.35 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Nauru produces 3.1 times as much per person as Vanuatu
Nauru: Int$14,201 (2025) · Vanuatu: Int$4,525 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 32.3 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 19.5% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 5.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Nauru’s central government collects 21% of GDP in tax, Vanuatu’s 17%
Nauru: 21.4% (2024) · Vanuatu: 16.5% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Nauru’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Vanuatu’s
Nauru: 103% (2025) · Vanuatu: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Nauru spends 16 times as much on health per person as Vanuatu
Nauru: $2,292 (2023) · Vanuatu: $143 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Vanuatu live 9.4 years longer than in Nauru
Nauru: 62.3 years (2024) · Vanuatu: 71.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vanuatu is 87% more likely to die before turning one than in Nauru
Nauru: 7.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Vanuatu: 14.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Nauru has 7.8 times as many doctors per person as Vanuatu
Nauru: 1.3 per 1,000 (2015) · Vanuatu: 0.2 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 16.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
71% of adults in Nauru are obese, versus 22% in Vanuatu
Nauru: 71.4% (2024) · Vanuatu: 21.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
35% of adults in Nauru smoke, versus 25% in Vanuatu
Nauru: 34.8% (2024) · Vanuatu: 24.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 2.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Nauru has 2.7 times as much meat per person as Vanuatu
Nauru: 109.2 kg (2023) · Vanuatu: 41 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Nauru has 173 kcal more food per person per day than Vanuatu
Nauru: 3,082 kcal (2023) · Vanuatu: 2,909 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Nauru went to school 2.3 years longer than in Vanuatu
Nauru: 9.4 years (2023) · Vanuatu: 7.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 0.1 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Vanuatu has 1 more World Heritage site than Nauru (1 against 0)
Nauru: 0 (2026) · Vanuatu: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Nauru and Vanuatu are practically level
Nauru: 0 (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
83% of people in Nauru are online, versus 22% in Vanuatu
Nauru: 83% (2024) · Vanuatu: 22% (2015)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Nauru have electricity, versus 66% in Vanuatu
Nauru: 100% (2024) · Vanuatu: 65.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Nauru live in cities, versus 22% in Vanuatu
Nauru: 100% (2025) · Vanuatu: 22% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vanuatu has 89 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nauru 87
Nauru: 87 (2022) · Vanuatu: 89 (2023)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Nauru fly 3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Vanuatu
Nauru: 3.25 (2023) · Vanuatu: 1.07 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 75% of Vanuatu, but only 0% of Nauru
Nauru: 0% (2023) · Vanuatu: 74.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Nauru emits 8.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vanuatu
Nauru: 5.1 t (2024) · Vanuatu: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
25% of Vanuatu’s electricity is renewable, versus 20% in Nauru
Nauru: 20% (2024) · Vanuatu: 25% (2023)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vanuatu carries 53% more fine dust than in Nauru
Nauru: 3.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Vanuatu: 5.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 0.3 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 14.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nauru: no data · Vanuatu: 2,432 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Nauru bigger than Vanuatu?
Vanuatu is larger. Nauru fits inside Vanuatu 580 times.
Which has more people, Nauru or Vanuatu?
Vanuatu has 28 times as many people as Nauru (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nauru or Vanuatu?
People in Vanuatu live 9.4 years longer than in Nauru. Life expectancy at birth is 62.3 years in Nauru and 71.7 in Vanuatu.
Are people taller in Nauru or Vanuatu?
Men in Nauru are 1.3 cm taller than in Vanuatu (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).