Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of Palau, you would:
Health
be 54.9% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.
live 1.9 years less
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 42.5% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.
have 69.4% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
Economy
make 75.0% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 56.2% 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.2% less likely to be literate
In Palau, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2020. In Namibia, it is 87.6% as of 2023.
be 95.7% 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 43.3% 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 Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 22.7% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.
be 13.1% 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 Namibia, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.6% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.6 times more on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Infrastructure
find 61.4% less home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 98.6% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.