Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 10.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 20.1 times more doctors per person
Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 32.7% more access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 7.3 times more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 17.4 times more money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 61.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.8% more likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 36.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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.
have 61.9% fewer children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 56.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 62.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.4% less on education
Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Rwanda spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.1 times more likely to be murdered
Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Palau, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 91.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.2 times more home broadband
Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 517.8 times more CO2
Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.