Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
see 5.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Cambodia spends $350 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 12.1% more access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
live 1.4 years less
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 8.2 times more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 6.8 times more money
Cambodia has a GDP per capita of $2,872 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 35.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.8% more likely to be literate
In Cambodia, the literacy rate is 71.9% as of 2021. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 13.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Cambodia, approximately 16.4 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 47.4% fewer children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 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 22.6% more likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 20.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cambodia, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 79% 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 57.8% more on education
Cambodia spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Cambodia spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.4 times more coastline
Cambodia has a total of 443 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 18.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cambodia, road accidents kill 18.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 76.6% more home broadband
Cambodia has 4.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 75.3 times more CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.