If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Maldives, you would:

Health

live 14.2 years less

In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 61.8% less spent on your healthcare

Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 33.3% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Maldives, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Marshall Islands, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2019.

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make 41.9% less money

Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.

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Life

have 89.7% more children

In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 4.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Maldives, approximately 32.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 4.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In Maldives, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 22.7% less likely to have internet access

In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.

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be 12.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Maldives, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 87% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 48.9% more on education

Maldives spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 45.0% more on healthcare

Maldives spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 42.5% less coastline

Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.

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Safety

be 9.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 88.0% less home broadband

Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Marshall Islands: At a glance

Marshall Islands (sometimes abbreviated RMI) is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 181 sq km. After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network.
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How big is Marshall Islands compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.

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