Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Samoa fits inside Vanuatu 4.3 times
Samoa: 2,840 km² (2024) · Vanuatu: 12,189 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Vanuatu’s coastline is 6.3 times as long as Samoa’s
Samoa: 403 km (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 2,528 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vanuatu’s highest peak towers 20 m above Samoa’s
Samoa: 1,857 m (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 1,877 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 18% of Samoa, versus 13% of Vanuatu
Samoa: 17.8% (2024) · Vanuatu: 13.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vanuatu has 53% more people than Samoa
Samoa: 219,306 (2025) · Vanuatu: 335,169 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Samoa is 2.9 times as densely populated as Vanuatu
Samoa: 79 per km² (2025) · Vanuatu: 27 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Samoa are 6.1 cm taller than in Vanuatu
Samoa: 174.4 cm (2019) · Vanuatu: 168.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Samoa are 3.3 cm taller than in Vanuatu
Samoa: 163.8 cm (2019) · Vanuatu: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vanuatu is 0.24 years older than in Samoa
Samoa: 19.9 years (2023) · Vanuatu: 20.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Samoa have 0.2 more children on average than in Vanuatu
Samoa: 3.8 children per woman (2024) · Vanuatu: 3.57 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.1% of people in Samoa are 65 or older, versus 4.4% in Vanuatu
Samoa: 6.1% (2025) · Vanuatu: 4.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Samoa: no data · Vanuatu: 0 per 1,000 (2025)
How many official languages?
Vanuatu has 3 official languages, Samoa 2
Samoa: 2 (2026) · Vanuatu: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Vanuatu’s economy is 5% larger than Samoa’s
Samoa: $1.29 billion (2025) · Vanuatu: $1.35 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Samoa produces 2.1 times as much per person as Vanuatu
Samoa: Int$9,319 (2025) · Vanuatu: Int$4,525 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Samoa: no data · Vanuatu: 32.3 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Samoa: no data · Vanuatu: 19.5% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Vanuatu and Samoa are practically level
Samoa: 5% (2025) · Vanuatu: 5.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Samoa’s central government collects 24% of GDP in tax, Vanuatu’s 17%
Samoa: 24% (2023) · Vanuatu: 16.5% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Vanuatu’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Samoa’s
Samoa: 63% (2025) · Vanuatu: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Samoa spends 2 times as much on health per person as Vanuatu
Samoa: $293 (2023) · Vanuatu: $143 (2023)
How long do people live?
Samoa and Vanuatu are practically level
Samoa: 71.8 years (2024) · Vanuatu: 71.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vanuatu is 17% more likely to die before turning one than in Samoa
Samoa: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Vanuatu: 14.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Samoa has 3.4 times as many doctors per person as Vanuatu
Samoa: 0.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Vanuatu: 0.2 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vanuatu is 36% higher than in Samoa
Samoa: 12.1 per 100k (2023) · Vanuatu: 16.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
63% of adults in Samoa are obese, versus 22% in Vanuatu
Samoa: 63.2% (2024) · Vanuatu: 21.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
25% of adults in Vanuatu smoke, versus 23% in Samoa
Samoa: 23.1% (2024) · Vanuatu: 24.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Adults in Samoa drink 40% more alcohol than in Vanuatu
Samoa: 2.9 litres (2023) · Vanuatu: 2.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Samoa has 2.7 times as much meat per person as Vanuatu
Samoa: 109 kg (2023) · Vanuatu: 41 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Samoa has 207 kcal more food per person per day than Vanuatu
Samoa: 3,116 kcal (2023) · Vanuatu: 2,909 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Samoa went to school 4.1 years longer than in Vanuatu
Samoa: 11.3 years (2023) · Vanuatu: 7.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Samoa welcomed 2.4 times as many tourists per resident as Vanuatu (2019)
Samoa: 0.23 (2022) · Vanuatu: 0.1 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Vanuatu has 1 more World Heritage site than Samoa (1 against 0)
Samoa: 0 (2026) · Vanuatu: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Samoa has won 1 Olympic medal, Vanuatu none
Samoa: 1 (2026 edition) · Vanuatu: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
22% of people in Vanuatu are online, versus 21% in Samoa
Samoa: 21% (2014) · Vanuatu: 22% (2015)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Samoa have electricity, versus 66% in Vanuatu
Samoa: 100% (2024) · Vanuatu: 65.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
22% of people in Vanuatu live in cities, versus 18% in Samoa
Samoa: 18% (2025) · Vanuatu: 22% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vanuatu has 89 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Samoa 62
Samoa: 62 (2022) · Vanuatu: 89 (2023)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vanuatu fly 5.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Samoa
Samoa: 0.19 (2023) · Vanuatu: 1.07 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 75% of Vanuatu, but only 58% of Samoa
Samoa: 57.6% (2024) · Vanuatu: 74.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Samoa emits 87% more CO₂ than someone in Vanuatu
Samoa: 1.1 t (2024) · Vanuatu: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
44% of Samoa’s electricity is renewable, versus 25% in Vanuatu
Samoa: 43.8% (2024) · Vanuatu: 25% (2023)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vanuatu carries 41% more fine dust than in Samoa
Samoa: 4.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Vanuatu: 5.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19 times as likely to be murdered in Samoa as in Vanuatu
Samoa: 6.3 per 100k (2018) · Vanuatu: 0.3 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vanuatu are 16% deadlier than in Samoa
Samoa: 12.8 per 100k (2023) · Vanuatu: 14.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Samoa is on average 0.2 °C warmer than Vanuatu
Samoa: 25.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vanuatu: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Samoa gets 24% more rain than Vanuatu
Samoa: 3,005 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 Samoa bigger than Vanuatu?
Vanuatu is larger. Samoa fits inside Vanuatu 4.3 times.
Which has more people, Samoa or Vanuatu?
Vanuatu has 53% more people than Samoa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Samoa or Vanuatu?
Samoa and Vanuatu are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 71.8 years in Samoa and 71.7 in Vanuatu.
Are people taller in Samoa or Vanuatu?
Men in Samoa are 6.1 cm taller than in Vanuatu (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).