If you lived in Nauru instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

have 30.4% more access to essential health services

Cook Islands scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nauru scores 60 as of 2021.

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live 14.9 years less

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Nauru, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.

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Life

be 51.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Nauru, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 2.0 times more children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nauru, there are 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 28.1% more likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Nauru, about 83.0% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 25.7% more on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Nauru spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 5.7 times more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Nauru, that number is 18.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 75.0% less coastline

Cook Islands has a total of 120 km of coastline. In Nauru, that number is 30 km.

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Safety

be 54.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Cook Islands, road accidents kill 17.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nauru, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 45.3% less home broadband

Cook Islands has 18.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Nauru has 10.0 as of 2022.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2020–2024), World Bank (2022–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022). How we calculate this

Nauru: At a glance

Nauru is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 21 sq km. The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific region. Germany annexed the island in 1888. A German-British consortium began mining the island's phosphate deposits early in the 20th century. Australian forces occupied Nauru in World War I; it subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.
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How big is Nauru compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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