Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.7 years longer

In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Cambodia, that number is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 88.3% less likely to be obese

In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cambodia, that number is 4.9% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 59.9% less spent on your healthcare

Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cambodia spends $350 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Cambodia, however, that number is 16.5% as of 2016.

View global rankings →

make 66.2% less money

Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Cambodia, the GDP per capita is $2,872 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 27.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cambodia, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 24.9% less likely to be literate

In Marshall Islands, the literacy rate is 95.8% as of 2021. In Cambodia, it is 71.9% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 71.7% less on education

Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cambodia spends 2.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 65.5% less on healthcare

Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cambodia, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 19.6% more coastline

Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Cambodia, that number is 443 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 58.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cambodia, they kill 18.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 76.6% more home broadband

Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Cambodia has 4.2 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Cambodia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Cambodia is 47.6% cheaper than Marshall Islands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Marshall Islands is about 1,000 times smaller than Cambodia.
→
Moving from Marshall Islands to Cambodia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Cambodia: At a glance

Cambodia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 176,515 sq km. Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire, ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863, and it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders have been tried or are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity by a hybrid UN-Cambodian tribunal supported by international assistance. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, with little of the pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful, as were commune council elections in June 2012.
Read more

How big is Cambodia compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Cambodia or Marshall Islands. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.