Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years less
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 16.7% less access to essential health services
Brunei scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
make 39.4% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 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 19.8% fewer children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 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 12.8% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.9 times more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.4 times more coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 6.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 65.4% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 4.1 times more CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.