Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Laos, you would:
Health
see 15.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 5.5 times more doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 25.0% more access to essential health services
Laos scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 4.4 times more likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 8.4 times more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 112.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.0% more likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 31.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Laos, approximately 27.2 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 48.9% fewer children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 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 28.0% more likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 65.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.8 times more on education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 8.2 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 35.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.7 times more home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 24.7 times more CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Laos vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.