Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Palau instead of Brunei, you would:

Health

live 3.7 years less

In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Palau, that number is 75 years (71 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.9 times more likely to be obese

In Brunei, 14.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Palau, that number is 55.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 67.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Brunei, 5.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 1.7% as of 2015.

make 79.7% less money

Brunei has a GDP per capita of $77,900 as of 2023, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $15,800 as of 2023.

Life

have 26.6% fewer children

In Brunei, there are approximately 15.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 62.0% less likely to have internet access

In Brunei, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Palau, about 37.2% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 54.5% more on education

Brunei spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Palau spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 7.7 times more on healthcare

Brunei spends 2.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Palau, that number is 18.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 9.4 times more coastline

Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Palau: At a glance

Palau is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 459 sq km. After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986 but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained independence.
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How big is Palau compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.

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