Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
live 13.7 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 28.2% more likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
see 50.2% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 39.6% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 20.7% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In United Arab Emirates, 19.5% live below the poverty line as of 2003. In Palau, however, that number is 24.9% as of 2006.
make 61.1% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 16.1% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.6% less on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.3% more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 3.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 82.1% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 4.5 times more CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2003–2006), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.