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

Health

live 10.1 years longer

In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Cook Islands, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022.

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be 72.4% more likely to be obese

In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cook Islands, that number is 72.4% of people as of 2024.

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have 22.0% less access to essential health services

Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cook Islands scores 46 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 63.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Marshall Islands, 36.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2006. In Cook Islands, that number is 13.1% as of 2005.

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Life

be 29.8% 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 Cook Islands, on the other hand, 15.9 children do as of 2022.

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have 39.8% fewer children

In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cook Islands, there are 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 40.3% less on education

Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cook Islands spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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spend 76.1% less on healthcare

Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cook Islands, that number is 3.2% of GDP as of 2020.

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Geography

see 67.6% less coastline

Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Cook Islands, that number is 120 km.

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Safety

be 47.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cook Islands, they kill 17.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 7.8 times more home broadband

Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Cook Islands has 18.2 as of 2022.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2005–2024), World Bank (2022–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Cook Islands: At a glance

Cook Islands is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 236 sq km. Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965, residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.
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How big is Cook Islands compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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