Determining the country in the South Pacific most similar to Sub-Saharan Africa requires considering various social, cultural, economic, and political factors. One way to answer this complex question is by analyzing the data from the Country Similarity Index. The index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries, using a variety of statistics from five broad categories: demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
According to the Index, Vanuatu is by far the most similar country in the South Pacific region. On the other end of the spectrum, Fiji has the least amount of traits in common with Sub-Saharan Africa.
(Sub-Saharan African countries defined as Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
In terms of government and infrastructure, Vanuatu has some traits more in common with Sub-Saharan African than other countries in the South Pacific region.
Government
Vanuatu was once jointly administered by Great Britain and France, while much of Africa was colonized by these two countries as well. The British and French had different approaches to colonial administration, and this sometimes led to contrasting policies within the same territory. Both Vanuatu and many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced periods of political instability since gaining independence. They also have little rule of law.
Infrastructure
Many Sub-Saharan African countries and Vanuatu face constraints in terms of financial resources, so they do not have the ability to invest in robust infrastructure. In both regions, are reliant on substance agriculture. The availability of electricity, internet, and drinking water is limited. Furthermore, their hospitals and transportation systems are not highly developed.
The Most Similar Sub-Saharan African Country to Vanuatu
The Country Similarity Index suggests that Madagascar is the most similar country in the Sub-Saharan African region to Vanuatu. Most people in both countries natively speak an Austronesian language, furthermore French is one of their official languages. In addition, both countries are located on islands, although Madagascar is in the Indian Ocean, not the Pacific.
