Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Palau, you would:
Health
be 80.3% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
live 1.8 years less
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 93.2% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 97.0% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 26.2% less access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
make 96.6% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.9 times more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times 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 Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.6% less likely to be literate
In Palau, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2020. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 2.0 times 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 Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 84.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Palau, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 16% of people on average (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 77.4% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 26.6% 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 Malawi, that number is 73% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.1% less on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 39.8% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 98.8% less home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 99.7% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.