Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 14.7 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 6.9 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
see 65.4% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 31.7% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 21.7% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
make 45.7% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
have 87.5% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 29.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, 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 10.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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.
Geography
see 94.9% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 8.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 81.0% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 10.6 times more CO2
Japan emits 7.8 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: Japan vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.