Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 10.4 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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 35.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 2.4 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 29.5 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 84.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 84.5% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 71.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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 74.8% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 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 98.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 3.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 32.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% 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 2.9 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 49.8% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Infrastructure
find 10.2 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 1656.8 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.