Gambia vs Vanuatu
Vanuatu is 8% larger than Gambia.
GambiaVanuatuGambia moved onto Vanuatu · Equal-area projection
0.93×
Gambia is 0.93× the area of Vanuatu. Put the other way, Vanuatu is 1.08× the size of Gambia.
 Gambia |  Vanuatu | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaVanuatu: 1.08× the area | 11,300 km²#160 of 194 | 12,190 km²#158 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGambia: 8.42× the population | 2,822,093#139 of 194 · 2025 | 335,169#173 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGambia: 9.08× the density | 250 / km²#41 of 194 | 27 / km²#156 of 194 |
| Urban populationGambia: 2.91× the urban share | 65%#89 of 192 · 2025 | 22%#184 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGambia: 1.1× the births per woman | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 | 3.57 per woman#42 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthThe same | +2.23%#35 of 192 · 2025 | +2.23%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGambia: 1.08× the birth rate | 29.9 per 1,000#31 of 192 · 2024 | 27.7 per 1,000#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGambia: 1.24× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 5.0 per 1,000#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Gambia: 1.7 points higher | 39.7%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 38.0%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Vanuatu: 1.2 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 4.4%#134 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationVanuatu: 0.9 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGambia: 59.5× the refugees for its size | 2.38 per 1,000#38 of 190 · 2025 | 0.04 per 1,000#134 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyVanuatu: 5.6 years longer | 66.1 years#162 of 192 · 2024 | 71.7 years#119 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGambia: 2.27× the infant mortality | 32.7 per 1,000 births#41 of 191 · 2024 | 14.4 per 1,000 births#87 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsVanuatu: 1.78× the doctors per person | 0.09 per 1,000#168 of 178 · 2023 | 0.16 per 1,000#158 of 178 · 2019 |
| University enrolment | 13.5%#125 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexVanuatu: 0.097 higher | 0.524#167 of 190 · 2023 | 0.621#143 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaVanuatu: 4.74× the income per person | $930#172 of 185 · 2025 | $4,410#120 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGambia: 1.92× the economy | $2.59B2025 | $1.35B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Vanuatu: 1.22× the output per person | $3,706#164 of 184 · 2025 | $4,525#156 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGambia: 2.8 points higher | +5.9%#33 of 187 · 2025 | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGambia: 10.9 points higher | +11.6%#19 of 176 · 2024 | +0.7%#149 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGambia: 1.27× the unemployment | 6.5%#65 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGambia: 1.13× the share in extreme poverty | 22.0%#33 of 149 · 2020 | 19.5%#36 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Gambia: 6.5 higher | 38.8#46 of 149 · 2020 | 32.3#100 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureVanuatu: 16.9 points higher | 27.6% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 44.5% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGambia: 8.8 points higher | 18.8% of jobs#93 of 178 · 2025 | 10.0% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGambia: 8.2 points higher | 53.6% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 45.4% of jobs#136 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGambia: 8.2 points higher | 10.6% of GDP#14 of 184 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#78 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsVanuatu: 12.6 points higher | 12.7% of GDP#156 of 168 · 2025 | 25.3% of GDP#113 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spending | 0.6% of GDP#138 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 50%#144 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsGambia: 1.42× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 89 per 100#142 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaVanuatu: 1.7× the forest share | 21% of land#119 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#80 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personVanuatu: 4.83× the CO₂ per person | 0.18 t a year#169 of 185 · 2024 | 0.87 t a year#133 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGambia: 22.7 points higher | 47.7%#52 of 190 · 2022 | 25.0%#92 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityGambia: 3.5 points higher | 69.0%#156 of 192 · 2024 | 65.5%#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Gambia: 5.47× the air pollution | 38.3 µg/m³#25 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGambia: 2.9 points higher | 7.7% of land#155 of 191 · 2025 | 4.8% of land#165 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGambia: 41.9 points higher | 43.5% of land#11 of 190 · 2023 | 1.6% of land#167 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| PrecipitationVanuatu: 2.39× the rain and snow | 836 mm#103 of 180 · 2022 | 2,000 mm#32 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityVanuatu: 0.91 higher | +0.04#102 of 193 · 2025 | +0.95#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionVanuatu: 0.33 higher | −0.51#120 of 193 · 2025 | −0.18#91 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 0.3 per 100,000#139 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Banjul | Port-Vila |
| Currency | Dalasi (GMD) | Vanuatu vatus (VUV) |
| Official languages | English | English, French, Bislama |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+11 |
| Calling code | +220 | +678 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Melanesia, Oceania |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Gambia sits at about 13° N and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; Vanuatu at 16° S is stretched to 1.08×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Gambia bigger than Vanuatu?
- No. Gambia is 7% smaller than Vanuatu. Gambia covers 11,300 km² and Vanuatu covers 12,190 km².
- How many times does Gambia fit into Vanuatu?
- About 1.1 times: Vanuatu has 1.08× the area of Gambia.
- Why do Gambia and Vanuatu look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Gambia is drawn about 1.06× its true area there and Vanuatu about 1.08×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Gambia or Vanuatu?
- Gambia: 2,822,093 people against 335,169. Density: Gambia 250 per km², Vanuatu 27 per km².
- Which is richer, Gambia or Vanuatu?
- By gross national income per person, Vanuatu: $4,410 against $930 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.74× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Gambia or Vanuatu?
- In Vanuatu: life expectancy at birth is 71.7 years, against 66.1 — 5.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Gambia and Vanuatu have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Gambia: presidential republic; Vanuatu: parliamentary republic.