If you lived in Palau instead of Cayman Islands, you would:

Health

live 11.2 years less

In Cayman Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 81.3% less money

Cayman Islands has a GDP per capita of $104,293 as of 2024, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Cayman Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Palau, on the other hand, 18.6 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 2.2 times more on education

Cayman Islands spends 1.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 9.5 times more coastline

Cayman Islands has a total of 160 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered

Cayman Islands has a homicide rate of 4.4 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Palau, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2018.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 87.0% less home broadband

Cayman Islands has 56.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 16.6 times more CO2

Cayman Islands emits 5.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Palau: At a glance

Palau is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 459 sq km. After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986 but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained independence.
Read more

How big is Palau compared to Cayman Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Palau or Cayman Islands. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.