Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Palau, you would:
Health
be 51.1% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
see 29.5% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 79.0% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 15.4% less access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
make 60.2% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 74.2% more 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 Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.6% more 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 Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Palau, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 31.5% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.3% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 25.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Environment
emit 96.7% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.