Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 5.7 times more doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 58.5% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 96.9% more likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 46.9 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 82.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Afghanistan, approximately 521.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 61.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Afghanistan, approximately 48.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Palau, on the other hand, 18.6 children do as of 2024.
have 69.5% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 23.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.6% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 18.6% more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Palau, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2018.
Infrastructure
find 91.6 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 295.9 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.