Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 63.3% more doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
live 5.4 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 16.9 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% 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
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 85.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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 20.3% fewer children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.0% more on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 55.9% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 25.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.1% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 19.4 times more CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.