Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 2.2 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 13.1% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
have 13.8% more access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
see 53.2% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 74.6% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
Economy
make 59.0% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 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 Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
be 46.1% 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 Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 12.0% 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 Jamaica, that number is 88% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.0% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 60.2% more on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 32.7% less coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 19.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 96.6% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.