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

Health

see 3.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Philippines spends $560 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.

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have 2.3 times more doctors per person

Philippines has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.

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have 12.1% more access to essential health services

Philippines scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.

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be 4.2 times more likely to be obese

In Philippines, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 4.7 times more money

Philippines has a GDP per capita of $4,171 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.

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Life

be 14.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Philippines, approximately 21.7 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 32.7% fewer children

In Philippines, 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 24.8% more likely to have internet access

In Philippines, approximately 67.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 13.4% less on education

Philippines spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 2.1 times more on healthcare

Philippines spends 5.1% 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 95.8% less coastline

Philippines has a total of 36,289 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.

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Safety

be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Philippines, road accidents kill 9.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Environment

emit 55.2 times more CO2

Philippines emits 1.5 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), 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 Philippines? See an in-depth size comparison.

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