Timor-Leste vs Vanuatu
Timor-Leste is 22% larger than Vanuatu.
Timor-LesteVanuatuTimor-Leste moved onto Vanuatu · Equal-area projection
1.22×
Timor-Leste is 1.22× the area of Vanuatu.
 Timor-Leste |  Vanuatu | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaTimor-Leste: 1.22× the area | 14,919 km²#155 of 194 | 12,190 km²#158 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationTimor-Leste: 4.23× the population | 1,418,517#151 of 194 · 2025 | 335,169#173 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityTimor-Leste: 3.46× the density | 95 / km²#95 of 194 | 27 / km²#156 of 194 |
| Urban populationTimor-Leste: 1.29× the urban share | 29%#174 of 192 · 2025 | 22%#184 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateVanuatu: 1.36× the births per woman | 2.63 per woman#66 of 192 · 2024 | 3.57 per woman#42 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthVanuatu: 0.96 points higher | +1.27%#78 of 192 · 2025 | +2.23%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateVanuatu: 1.27× the birth rate | 21.8 per 1,000#61 of 192 · 2024 | 27.7 per 1,000#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateTimor-Leste: 1.44× the death rate | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 5.0 per 1,000#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Vanuatu: 4.9 points higher | 33.1%#55 of 192 · 2025 | 38.0%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Timor-Leste: 0.8 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 4.4%#134 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationVanuatu: 1.6 per 1,000 higher | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadVanuatu: 4.0× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.04 per 1,000#134 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyVanuatu: 3.8 years longer | 67.9 years#144 of 192 · 2024 | 71.7 years#119 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityTimor-Leste: 2.4× the infant mortality | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 | 14.4 per 1,000 births#87 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsTimor-Leste: 4.69× the doctors per person | 0.75 per 1,000#114 of 178 · 2020 | 0.16 per 1,000#158 of 178 · 2019 |
| University enrolment | 31.0%#101 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexTimor-Leste: 0.013 higher | 0.634#139 of 190 · 2023 | 0.621#143 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaVanuatu: 2.92× the income per person | $1,510#157 of 185 · 2025 | $4,410#120 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPTimor-Leste: 1.4× the economy | $1.9B2025 | $1.35B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Timor-Leste: 1.06× the output per person | $4,809#154 of 184 · 2025 | $4,525#156 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthTimor-Leste: 3.9 points higher | +7.0%#18 of 187 · 2025 | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationVanuatu: 0.3 points higher | +0.4%#154 of 176 · 2025 | +0.7%#149 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentVanuatu: 3.19× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1%#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 19.5%#36 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 32.3#100 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureTimor-Leste: 1.5 points higher | 46.0% of jobs#27 of 178 · 2025 | 44.5% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryVanuatu: 6.2 points higher | 3.8% of jobs#176 of 178 · 2025 | 10.0% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesTimor-Leste: 4.8 points higher | 50.2% of jobs#116 of 178 · 2025 | 45.4% of jobs#136 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentTimor-Leste: 10.9 points higher | 13.3% of GDP#9 of 184 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#78 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsVanuatu: 14.7 points higher | 10.6% of GDP#160 of 168 · 2024 | 25.3% of GDP#113 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spending | 2.3% of GDP#51 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 35%#158 of 184 · 2021 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsTimor-Leste: 1.3× the mobile subscriptions | 116 per 100#93 of 191 · 2024 | 89 per 100#142 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaTimor-Leste: 1.96× the forest share | 71% of land#14 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#80 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personVanuatu: 1.74× the CO₂ per person | 0.50 t a year#151 of 185 · 2024 | 0.87 t a year#133 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyVanuatu: 13.6 points higher | 11.4%#138 of 190 · 2022 | 25.0%#92 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityTimor-Leste: 28.8 points higher | 94.3%#133 of 192 · 2024 | 65.5%#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Timor-Leste: 1.71× the air pollution | 12.0 µg/m³#139 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landTimor-Leste: 11.3 points higher | 16.1% of land#106 of 191 · 2025 | 4.8% of land#165 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landTimor-Leste: 5.9 points higher | 7.5% of land#112 of 190 · 2024 | 1.6% of land#167 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | 28.3%#56 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| PrecipitationVanuatu: 1.33× the rain and snow | 1,500 mm#58 of 180 · 2022 | 2,000 mm#32 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityVanuatu: 0.30 higher | +0.65#60 of 193 · 2025 | +0.95#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionVanuatu: 0.21 higher | −0.39#112 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 | Semi-presidential republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | ASEAN | — |
| Capital | Dili | Port-Vila |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) | Vanuatu vatus (VUV) |
| Official languages | Portuguese, Tetum | English, French, Bislama |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+11 |
| Calling code | +670 | +678 |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia | 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. Timor-Leste sits at about 9° S and is stretched to 1.02× 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 Timor-Leste bigger than Vanuatu?
- Yes. Timor-Leste is 22% larger than Vanuatu. Timor-Leste covers 14,919 km² and Vanuatu covers 12,190 km².
- How many times does Vanuatu fit into Timor-Leste?
- About 1.2 times: Timor-Leste has 1.22× the area of Vanuatu.
- Why do Timor-Leste and Vanuatu look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Timor-Leste is drawn about 1.02× 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, Timor-Leste or Vanuatu?
- Timor-Leste: 1,418,517 people against 335,169. Density: Timor-Leste 95 per km², Vanuatu 27 per km².
- Which is richer, Timor-Leste or Vanuatu?
- By gross national income per person, Vanuatu: $4,410 against $1,510 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.92× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Timor-Leste or Vanuatu?
- In Vanuatu: life expectancy at birth is 71.7 years, against 67.9 — 3.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Timor-Leste and Vanuatu have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Timor-Leste: semi-presidential republic; Vanuatu: parliamentary republic.