Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Palau, you would:

Health

live 9.5 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 31.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Palau, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2006. In New Caledonia, however, that number is 17.0% as of 2008.

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make 49.6% more money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

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Life

have 31.2% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Geography

see 48.4% more coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In New Caledonia, that number is 2,254 km.

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Infrastructure

find 2.6 times more home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 79.4% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2006–2008). How we calculate this

Compare further: Palau vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 24.5% more expensive than Palau overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Palau is about 40 times smaller than New Caledonia.
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Moving from Palau to New Caledonia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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