World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vanuatu fits inside the median country 9.1 times.
Vanuatu: 12,190 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Vanuatu’s coastline is 5.7 times as long as the median country’s.
Vanuatu: 2,528 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 458 m above Vanuatu’s.
Vanuatu: 1,877 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 22 times as many people as Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 335,169 (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 3.6 times as densely populated as Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 27 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 5.2 cm taller than in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 168.3 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The median country and Vanuatu are practically level.
Vanuatu: 160.5 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 11 years older than in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 20.1 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vanuatu have 1.7 more children on average than in the median country.
Vanuatu: 3.57 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 4.4% in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 4.4% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vanuatu: no data · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Vanuatu has 3 official languages, the median country 1.
Vanuatu: 3 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 34 times the size of Vanuatu’s.
Vanuatu: $1.35 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 4.7 times as much per person as Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: Int$4,525 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Vanuatu (Gini 2.1 points higher).
Vanuatu: 32.3 (2019) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
The median country and Vanuatu are practically level.
Vanuatu: 5.1% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vanuatu: no data · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Vanuatu’s price level (US = 100) is 2× the median country’s.
Vanuatu: 89% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 3.3 times as much on health per person as Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: $143 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 3 years longer than in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 71.7 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vanuatu is 14% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country.
Vanuatu: 14.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 10 times as many doctors per person as Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 0.2 per 1,000 (2019) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 22% in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 21.6% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
25% of adults in Vanuatu smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
Vanuatu: 24.9% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Vanuatu: no data · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 2.1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 37% more meat per person than Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 41 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 29 kcal more food per person per day than Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 2,909 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Vanuatu: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 2.7 years longer than in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 7.2 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 3.6 times as many tourists per resident as Vanuatu (2019).
Vanuatu: 0.1 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 22% in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 22% (2015) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 66% in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 65.5% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 22% in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 22% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vanuatu 89.
Vanuatu: 89 (2023) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Vanuatu: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vanuatu fly 4.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
Vanuatu: 1.07 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Vanuatu, but only 31% of the median country.
Vanuatu: 36.3% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 0.6 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 25% in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 25% (2023) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 2.9 times as much fine dust as in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 5.8 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.7 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu: 0.3 per 100k (2020) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vanuatu are 2% deadlier than in the median country.
Vanuatu: 12.5 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vanuatu is on average 2.4 °C warmer than the median country.
Vanuatu: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vanuatu gets 2.4 times as much rain as the median country.
Vanuatu: 2,432 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Vanuatu bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. Vanuatu fits inside the median country 9.1 times.
Which has more people, Vanuatu or the median country?
The median country has 22 times as many people as Vanuatu (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Vanuatu or the median country?
People in the median country live 3 years longer than in Vanuatu. Life expectancy at birth is 71.7 years in Vanuatu and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Vanuatu or the median country?
Men in the median country are 5.2 cm taller than in Vanuatu (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).