If you lived in Colombia instead of Palau, you would:

Health

live 8.5 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 38.5% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2024.

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have 40.2% more doctors per person

Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Colombia has 25.4 as of 2023.

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have 23.1% more access to essential health services

Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Colombia scores 80 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 56.2% less money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Colombia, the GDP per capita is $8,562 as of 2025.

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Life

be 33.7% 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 Colombia, 59.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 43.5% 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 Colombia, on the other hand, 10.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 23.9% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Colombia, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 25.0% less on healthcare

Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Colombia, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.

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spend 52.9% more on education

Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Colombia spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

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Geography

see 2.1 times more coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.

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Safety

be 27.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Colombia, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.3 times more home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Colombia has 17.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 97.8% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Colombia: At a glance

Colombia is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 1,038,700 sq km. Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A nearly five-decade long conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia as a formal organization had ceased to function. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, emerging criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, but continue attacks against civilians. Large areas of the countryside are under guerrilla influence or are contested by security forces. In November 2012, the Colombian Government started formal peace negotiations with the FARC aimed at reaching a definitive bilateral ceasefire and incorporating demobilized FARC members into mainstream society and politics. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.
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How big is Colombia compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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