Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
see 28.8% more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
live 7.4 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 73.6% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
have 22.8% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 14.5% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
make 48.8% more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 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 13.5% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 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 14.4% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 67.5% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 59.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 45.9% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 10.0 times more CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 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: Malaysia vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.