Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.9 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In India, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 80.2% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In India, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 81.4% less spent on your healthcare

Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). India spends $346 as of 2023.

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have 60.0% fewer doctors per person

Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. India has 7.2 as of 2020.

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Economy

make 86.2% less money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in India, the GDP per capita is $2,702 as of 2025.

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Life

have 49.5% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In India, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 25.3% 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 India, on the other hand, 23.3 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 16.6% less likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In India, about 70.0% do as of 2025.

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Expenditures

spend 69.2% less on healthcare

Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In India, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 19.2% more on education

Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. India spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 4.6 times more coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.

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Safety

be 30.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In India, they kill 15.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 57.0% less home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. India has 3.1 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 97.4% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. India emits 2.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Compare further: Palau vs. India

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
India is 78.0% cheaper than Palau overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Palau is about 7,162 times smaller than India.
→
Moving from Palau to India · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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India: At a glance

India is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,973,193 sq km. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.
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How big is India compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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