If you lived in Palau instead of Panama, you would:

Health

have 11.3% more doctors per person

Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.

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live 10.4 years less

In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 44.0% less spent on your healthcare

Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.

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have 16.7% less access to essential health services

Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.

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Life

be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Panama, approximately 37.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 55.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Panama, approximately 12.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Palau, on the other hand, 18.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 32.6% fewer children

In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 15.3% more likely to have internet access

In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 39.3% more on education

Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 30.3% more on healthcare

Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 39.0% less coastline

Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.

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Safety

be 3.0 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 59.6% less home broadband

Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 30.2 times more CO2

Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Palau: At a glance

Palau is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 459 sq km. After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986 but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained independence.
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How big is Palau compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.

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