Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
have 20.0% more access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Brunei scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
make 65.0% more money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
be 59.6% 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 Brunei, 36.0 women do as of 2023.
be 53.8% 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 Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
have 24.7% more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.7% more likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Brunei, about 96.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 79.4% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.4% less coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 83.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.9 times more home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 75.6% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.