Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 44.3% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 92.4% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 27.7% less access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
Economy
make 79.3% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
be 22.6% 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 Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.4 children do as of 2024.
have 2.6 times more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.9% less likely to be literate
In Palau, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2020. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 38.4% 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 Vanuatu, that number is 62% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 16.7% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 12.5% 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 Vanuatu, that number is 87% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 62.0% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.2 times more on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 66.4% more coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 97.1% less likely to be murdered
Palau has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 43.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.2% less home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 98.9% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.