Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 12.9 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 48.5% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 4.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 97.7% more doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
have 32.3% more access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belgium scores 86 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.1 times more money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Palau, approximately 89.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 83.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Palau, approximately 18.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
have 13.9% fewer children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.1% more likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belgium, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 82.6% more on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 95.6% less coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 90.4% less likely to be murdered
Palau has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 79.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.0 times more home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 91.2% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.