Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vanuatu fits inside New Zealand 22 times
New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2024) · Vanuatu: 12,189 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 6 times as long as Vanuatu’s
New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 2,528 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vanuatu’s highest peak towers 1,847 m above New Zealand’s
New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 1,877 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 37% of New Zealand, versus 13% of Vanuatu
New Zealand: 36.8% (2024) · Vanuatu: 13.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
New Zealand has 16 times as many people as Vanuatu
New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025) · Vanuatu: 335,169 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vanuatu is 36% more densely populated than New Zealand
New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025) · Vanuatu: 27 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 9.4 cm taller than in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019) · Vanuatu: 168.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 4.2 cm taller than in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019) · Vanuatu: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 17 years older than in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023) · Vanuatu: 20.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vanuatu have 2.0 more children on average than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024) · Vanuatu: 3.57 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 4.4% in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 17.6% (2025) · Vanuatu: 4.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
New Zealand: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025) · Vanuatu: 0 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand: 5.6 (2026) · Vanuatu: no data
How many official languages?
New Zealand and Vanuatu are practically level
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Vanuatu: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
New Zealand’s economy is 195 times the size of Vanuatu’s
New Zealand: $264 billion (2025) · Vanuatu: $1.35 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 13 times as much per person as Vanuatu
New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025) · Vanuatu: Int$4,525 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
New Zealand: no data · Vanuatu: 32.3 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
New Zealand: no data · Vanuatu: 19.5% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
New Zealand and Vanuatu are practically level
New Zealand: 5.1% (2025) · Vanuatu: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
New Zealand: 1.1% (2025) · Vanuatu: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
New Zealand’s central government collects 30% of GDP in tax, Vanuatu’s 17%
New Zealand: 29.5% (2024) · Vanuatu: 16.5% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Vanuatu’s price level (US = 100) is 1× New Zealand’s
New Zealand: 86% (2025) · Vanuatu: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 35 times as much on health per person as Vanuatu
New Zealand: $5,022 (2024) · Vanuatu: $143 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 10 years longer than in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 82 years (2024) · Vanuatu: 71.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vanuatu is 3.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand
New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024) · Vanuatu: 14.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 22 times as many doctors per person as Vanuatu
New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Vanuatu: 0.2 per 1,000 (2019)
How many hospital beds are there?
New Zealand: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Vanuatu: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vanuatu is 26% higher than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 13 per 100k (2023) · Vanuatu: 16.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 22% in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 34.7% (2024) · Vanuatu: 21.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
25% of adults in Vanuatu smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand
New Zealand: 9.3% (2024) · Vanuatu: 24.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
New Zealand: 7.00 (2025) · Vanuatu: no data
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 4.2 times as much alcohol as in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023) · Vanuatu: 2.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 94% more meat per person than Vanuatu
New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023) · Vanuatu: 41 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 213 kcal more food per person per day than Vanuatu
New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023) · Vanuatu: 2,909 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023) · Vanuatu: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 5.7 years longer than in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023) · Vanuatu: 7.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 6.3 times as many tourists per resident as Vanuatu (2019)
New Zealand: 0.6 (2024) · Vanuatu: 0.1 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
New Zealand has 2 more World Heritage sites than Vanuatu (3 against 1)
New Zealand: 3 (2026) · Vanuatu: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
New Zealand has won 166 Olympic medals, Vanuatu none
New Zealand: 166 (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 22% in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 94% (2024) · Vanuatu: 22% (2015)
How fast is home internet?
New Zealand: 272 Mbps (2026) · Vanuatu: no data
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in New Zealand have electricity, versus 66% in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 100% (2024) · Vanuatu: 65.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 22% in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 84% (2025) · Vanuatu: 22% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vanuatu 89
New Zealand: 130 (2024) · Vanuatu: 89 (2023)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018) · Vanuatu: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 2.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Vanuatu
New Zealand: 2.82 (2023) · Vanuatu: 1.07 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 75% of Vanuatu, but only 39% of New Zealand
New Zealand: 38.9% (2024) · Vanuatu: 74.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 10 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024) · Vanuatu: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 25% in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 88.5% (2025) · Vanuatu: 25% (2023)
How clean is the air?
The air in New Zealand carries 21% more fine dust than in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Vanuatu: 5.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.4 times as likely to be murdered in New Zealand as in Vanuatu
New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022) · Vanuatu: 0.3 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vanuatu are 37% deadlier than in New Zealand
New Zealand: 10.9 per 100k (2023) · Vanuatu: 14.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vanuatu is on average 14.2 °C warmer than New Zealand
New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vanuatu: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vanuatu gets 52% more rain than New Zealand
New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vanuatu: 2,432 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is New Zealand bigger than Vanuatu?
New Zealand is larger. Vanuatu fits inside New Zealand 22 times.
Which has more people, New Zealand or Vanuatu?
New Zealand has 16 times as many people as Vanuatu (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, New Zealand or Vanuatu?
People in New Zealand live 10 years longer than in Vanuatu. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in New Zealand and 71.7 in Vanuatu.
Are people taller in New Zealand or Vanuatu?
Men in New Zealand are 9.4 cm taller than in Vanuatu (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).