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

Health

live 4.8 years longer

In Nauru, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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.

View global rankings →

be 41.2% less likely to be obese

In Nauru, 71.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 64.7% less spent on your healthcare

Nauru spends $2,474 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 63.9% fewer doctors per person

Nauru has 12.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2015. Marshall Islands has 4.6 as of 2012.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 42.0% less money

Nauru has a GDP per capita of $14,640 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 43.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Nauru, approximately 273.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Nauru, approximately 7.7 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.

View global rankings →

have 18.2% fewer children

In Nauru, there are approximately 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 20.6% less likely to have internet access

In Nauru, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 10.6% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Nauru, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, 87% of people do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 26.4% less on healthcare

Nauru spends 18.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 33.2% more on education

Nauru spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 12.3 times more coastline

Nauru has a total of 30 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 48.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Nauru, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 76.4% less home broadband

Nauru has 10.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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