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

Health

live 1.9 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Indonesia, that number is 71 years (69 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 70.9% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Indonesia, that number is 11.8% of people as of 2024.

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see 77.6% less spent on your healthcare

Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Indonesia spends $417 as of 2023.

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have 71.0% fewer doctors per person

Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Indonesia has 5.2 as of 2023.

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have 15.4% less access to essential health services

Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Indonesia scores 55 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 74.1% less money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Indonesia, the GDP per capita is $5,060 as of 2025.

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Life

be 18.3% 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 Indonesia, on the other hand, 15.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 47.4% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Indonesia, there are 15.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 57.3% 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 Indonesia, 140.0 women do as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 13.3% less likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Indonesia, about 72.8% do as of 2024.

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be 10.6% 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 Indonesia, that number is 89% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 62.8% less on education

Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Indonesia spends 1.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 75.1% less on healthcare

Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Indonesia, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 36.0 times more coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Indonesia, that number is 54,716 km.

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Safety

be 49.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Indonesia, they kill 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 32.9% less home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Indonesia has 4.9 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 96.5% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Indonesia emits 2.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Indonesia: At a glance

Indonesia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,811,569 sq km. The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; Japan occupied the islands from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence shortly before Japan's surrender, but it required four years of sometimes brutal fighting, intermittent negotiations, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to transfer sovereignty in 1949. A period of sometimes unruly parliamentary democracy ended in 1957 when President SOEKARNO declared martial law and instituted "Guided Democracy." After an abortive coup in 1965 by alleged communist sympathizers, SOEKARNO was gradually eased from power. From 1967 until 1988, President SUHARTO ruled Indonesia with his "New Order" government. After rioting toppled Suharto in 1998, free and fair legislative elections took place in 1999. Indonesia is now the world's third most populous democracy, the world's largest archipelagic state, and the world's largest Muslim-majority nation. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, improving education, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing economic and financial reforms, stemming corruption, reforming the criminal justice system, holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations, addressing climate change, and controlling infectious diseases, particularly those of global and regional importance. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, which led to democratic elections in Aceh in December 2006. Indonesia continues to face low intensity armed resistance in Papua by the separatist Free Papua Movement.
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