If you lived in Palau instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:

Health

live 5.1 years longer

In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 7.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.

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have 7.2 times more doctors per person

Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.

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have 75.7% more access to essential health services

Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.

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be 3.2 times more likely to be obese

In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 17.4 times more money

Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.

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Life

be 82.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 56.2% more likely to be literate

In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.

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be 55.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 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.

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have 63.8% fewer children

In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 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 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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.

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be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.

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be 61.0% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 27.4% more on education

Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 23.0% more on healthcare

Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 4.3 times more coastline

Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.

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Safety

be 27.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 10.0 times more likely to be murdered

Guinea-Bissau has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Palau, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2018.

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Infrastructure

find 18.8 times more home broadband

Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 517.8 times more CO2

Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2020), 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 Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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