Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 13.4 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 82.5% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
see 73.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 58.7% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 27.0% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
make 80.1% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 14.5% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 52.9% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.8% more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 69.4% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 9.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 80.5% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 9.7 times more CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.