Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
see 2.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 3.9 times more doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
live 2.2 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 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 15.1% more likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
have 12.2% less access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.4 times more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 31.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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 13.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% 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 37.6% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 42.8% more on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 48.6% more coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 24.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 54.1% less home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 29.2 times more CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.