Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 13.7 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 2.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 65.5% more doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 26.2% more access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Palau, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2006. In United Arab Emirates, however, that number is 19.5% as of 2003.
make 2.6 times more money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 96.6% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 79.6% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 19.1% more likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.2% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 13.1% more on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 13.2% less coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 73.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.6 times more home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 78.0% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2003–2006), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.