Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
live 15.0 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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 Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
see 82.5% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 59.6% fewer doctors per person
Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
Switzerland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
make 83.0% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
have 22.9% more children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 17.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Switzerland, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 13.8% less likely to have internet access
In Switzerland, approximately 97.3% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.2% less on education
Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 9.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.4% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 22.1 times more CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.