If you lived in Palau instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:

Health

live 9.6 years less

In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 46.6% less spent on your healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.

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have 46.9% fewer doctors per person

Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.

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have 12.2% less access to essential health services

Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 43.4% less money

Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.

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Life

be 12.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 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 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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 35.2% fewer children

In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 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 16.1% less likely to have internet access

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 23.2% less on education

Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% 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 90.7% more on healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% 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 42.5% less coastline

Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.

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Safety

be 11.9 times more likely to be murdered

Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Palau, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2018.

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be 20.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 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 83.4% less home broadband

Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 4.5 times more CO2

Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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 (2018–2025), 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 Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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