Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
see 98.5% more spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 41.1% more doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 10.2% more access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
live 3.4 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 44.8% more likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.0 times more money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
have 48.2% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 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 39.4% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.7% more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 59.6% more on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.8 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 76.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 37.3% more home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 74.6 times more CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.