Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 14.0 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Macau, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 3.9 times more money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Macau, the GDP per capita is $75,902 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 75.3% 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 Macau, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 50.4% fewer children

In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Macau, there are 5.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 97.3% less coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Macau, that number is 41 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 4.1 times more home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Macau has 29.9 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 96.9% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Macau emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Palau vs. Macau

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Macau is 11.1% more expensive than Palau overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Palau is about 16 times bigger than Macau.
→
Moving from Palau to Macau · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Macau: At a glance

Macau is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 28 sq km. Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 20 December 1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the subsequent 50 years.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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