Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Kiribati, you would:
Health
live 2.8 years longer
In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 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 11.1% less likely to be obese
In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
see 4.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 35.4% more access to essential health services
Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.6 times more money
Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 52.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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.
have 57.8% fewer children
In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 25.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% 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 79.0% less on education
Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 32.9% more coastline
Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 3.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 244.3 times more home broadband
Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 140.4 times more CO2
Kiribati emits 0.6 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: Kiribati vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.