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

Health

be 44.0% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 72.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.

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have 41.3% more access to essential health services

Cook Islands scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.

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live 7.8 years less

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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Life

be 16.8% more 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 Palau, on the other hand, 18.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 11.7% fewer children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 29.5% more likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 25.2% less on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 3.4 times more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 12.7 times more coastline

Cook Islands has a total of 120 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.

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Safety

be 26.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Cook Islands, road accidents kill 17.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 59.8% less home broadband

Cook Islands has 18.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2020–2024), World Bank (2023–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). 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.
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How big is Palau compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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