Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
see 57.9% more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 11.9% more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
live 2.9 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 26.0% more likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
have 16.7% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.4 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In El Salvador, approximately 8.8 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 31.5% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 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 26.2% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.8% more on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.9 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Infrastructure
find 41.2% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 54.9 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.