Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Nauru instead of Iowa, you would:

Health

be 84.5% more likely to be obese

In Iowa, 38.7% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Nauru, that number is 71.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 77.0% less money

Iowa has a GDP per capita of $63,747 as of 2024, while in Nauru, the GDP per capita is $14,640 as of 2025.

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Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), World Bank (2025). How we calculate this

Compare further: Iowa vs. Nauru

Size Comparison · See true size
Iowa is about 6,891 times bigger than Nauru.
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Moving from Iowa to Nauru · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Nauru: At a glance

Nauru is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 21 sq km. The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific region. Germany annexed the island in 1888. A German-British consortium began mining the island's phosphate deposits early in the 20th century. Australian forces occupied Nauru in World War I; it subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.
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How big is Nauru compared to Iowa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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