Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Palau, you would:
Health
be 71.4% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
live 2.8 years less
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 86.9% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 82.1% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 13.8% less access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
make 93.3% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 86.0% 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 Zambia, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.9% 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 Zambia, that number is 51% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 79.6% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 26.2% 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 Zambia, that number is 73% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.9% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 18.3% more on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 53.7% less likely to be murdered
Palau has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Zambia, that number is 5.2 per 100,000 as of 2015.
be 23.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.2% less home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 99.3% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.