Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
live 3.3 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 19.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 20.1 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 41.3% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 3.3 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 21.3 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 74.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 93.3% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 43.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 64.2% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 69.6% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 14.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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 22.4% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 3.8 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 19.0 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Infrastructure
find 14.1 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 460.2 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.