Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 3.9 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 67.7% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
see 63.6% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 69.4% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
Economy
make 77.0% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 47.2% 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 Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.3% 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 Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
have 17.2% more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 35.0% less likely to be literate
In Palau, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2020. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 59.3% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 70.1% more on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 78.0% less likely to be murdered
Palau has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 45.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 60.2% less home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 97.6% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.