Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cambodia instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Cambodia, that number is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
be 87.9% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cambodia, that number is 4.9% of people as of 2024.
see 81.1% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cambodia spends $350 as of 2023.
have 10.8% less access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cambodia scores 58 as of 2021.
Economy
make 85.3% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Cambodia, the GDP per capita is $2,872 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.8% 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 Cambodia, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
have 90.0% more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cambodia, there are 20.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 53.9% 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 Cambodia, 137.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.0% less likely to be literate
In Palau, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2020. In Cambodia, it is 71.9% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 18.4% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cambodia, about 68.5% do as of 2024.
be 16.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Palau, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Cambodia, that number is 83% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.6% less on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cambodia spends 2.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.4% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cambodia, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 70.8% less coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Cambodia, that number is 443 km.
Safety
be 15.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cambodia, they kill 18.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 43.4% less home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Cambodia has 4.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 98.7% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Cambodia
Cambodia: At a glance
How big is Cambodia compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.