Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
see 13.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 38.3% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
live 2.3 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 79.5% more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 4.8 times more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 13.5% more likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Palau, it is 99.8% as of 2020.
be 29.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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 61.3% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 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 62.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% 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 20.1% more likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 14.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 84% 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 55.0% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 39.9% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 34.0 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Palau, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 77.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.3 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 95.2 times more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.