Vanuatu

Vanuatu

57.9

Happy planet index score.

1st out of 147 countries.
up 2 places from 2019

70.4 years Life expectancy
90th out of 147 countries.

2.62 tCO2e Carbon footprint
43rd out of 147 countries.

7.1/10 Wellbeing
9th out of 147 countries.

Vanuatu

Finishing first in the most recent edition of the Happy Planet Index, this tropical chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean has high levels of life satisfaction and a low Carbon Footprint, due to a culture of strong social connections, no military, and significant use of renewable energy. People living in Vanuatu have higher wellbeing than those living in Japan, while Vanuatu’s Ecological Footprint is just a quarter of the size of Japan’s. While Vanuatu performs well on the Happy Planet Index, like many island nations, it is highly vulnerable to tropical cyclones and typhoons, a problem likely to be exacerbated by climate change.

$2,800

Gross domestic product

123rd out of 147 countries.

319.1m

Population

147th out of 147 countries.

a note on human rights

Human rights abuses are a problem in most of the world, including in some of the high-ranking countries in the Happy Planet Index results. While the Happy Planet Index may reflect some of the negative impacts of these abuses, it does not seek to directly measure this. For more information about human rights in this country, visit Amnesty International.

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