Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
see 3.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 59.2% more doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
live 8.3 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 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.
be 3.6 times more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.9 times more money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 18.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 5.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 53.7% more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 10.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sri Lanka, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 88% 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 88.0% more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Sri Lanka 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 13.4% more coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 3.4 times more likely to be murdered
Sri Lanka has a homicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Palau, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 93.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.5% less home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 78.2 times more CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.