Human Development & Quality of Life in Vanuatu
HDI 0.621 · UNDP rank 146 · latest published data
In UNDP's 2023 index data, Vanuatu has HDI 0.621 and rank 146, which corresponds to medium human development. What makes the country profile more informative than the rank alone is that the health component is anchored by life expectancy of 71.5 years. Separately, Education combines 11.8 expected years of schooling with 7.2 mean years already attained.
What sits inside Vanuatu's HDI
Vanuatu's HDI can be read through four underlying inputs for 2023: 71.5 life expectancy, 11.8 expected schooling, 7.2 mean schooling and GNI per capita of $3,404 in 2021 PPP dollars. The components are inputs to HDI, not independent country league tables.
Inequality changes the headline
In Vanuatu's profile, IHDI shows the effect of inequality on health, education and income achievements, the page keeps this distribution measure distinct from broader quality-of-life evidence.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
Alongside the headline HDI, the published data for Vanuatu include GDI 0.952, GII 0.556. They are related indicators, but they should not be combined into one country score.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
For Vanuatu, the page has no verified OECD life-satisfaction observation to report. No proxy is inserted for a value the source does not report.
What Vanuatu's numbers say together
Vanuatu's additional indicators read as IHDI 0.521 with a 16.1% loss; GDI 0.952. They are related indicators, but they should not be combined into one country score.
In the figures presented here, the headline UNDP result for Vanuatu is HDI 0.621, rank 146, for 2023. Broader quality-of-life indicators remain outside that index. For a like-for-like reading, distinguish the composite from its components because the evidence is strongest when each metric keeps its own scope.
The IHDI is 0.521, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 16.1% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.952 in group 2; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
Frequently asked questions
What is Vanuatu's HDI?
For the 2023 observation year, UNDP reports HDI 0.621 and rank 146 for Vanuatu.
How does inequality affect Vanuatu's HDI?
For Vanuatu, IHDI is 0.521 and the associated inequality loss is 16.1%. This adjustment concerns the distribution of HDI achievements.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
A quality-of-life indicator is included for Vanuatu only when a dated comparable value is supported by the cited dataset.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. HDI combines health, education and income. Life satisfaction remains distinct from the health, education and income dimensions used by HDI.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.