Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 7.4 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 42.4% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
have 29.5% more doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 16.9% more access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
see 22.4% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
Economy
make 32.8% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.8% less 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 Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.4% 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 Malaysia, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
have 15.6% more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.8% more likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.5% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.1 times more coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 37.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.9% more home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 90.0% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 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. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.