Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 0.9 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 30.8% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 3.0 times more money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 5.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Palau, 1.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2015. In Greenland, that number is 9.1% as of 2015.

View global rankings →

Life

be 53.0% 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 Greenland, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 12.3% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greenland, there are 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 17.2% less likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 29.0 times more coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 52.4% less likely to be murdered

Palau has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Greenland, that number is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2016.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 4.4 times more home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 87.4% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Palau vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 37.7% more expensive than Palau overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Palau is about 4,719 times smaller than Greenland.
→
Moving from Palau to Greenland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Greenland: At a glance

Greenland is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 2,166,086 sq km. Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government.
Read more

How big is Greenland compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Greenland or Palau. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.