Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 14.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 33.5 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 35.4% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 5.1 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 29.1 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 60.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 225.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.4% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 51.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 38.0 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 65.7% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 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 6.4 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 16% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 36.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Malawi, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 70% 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 25.1% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 66.2% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 81.4 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 376.5 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.