Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

live 2.5 years less

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Marshall Islands, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 61.5% less money

Cook Islands has a GDP per capita of $15,600 as of 2022, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $6,000 as of 2022.

be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In Cook Islands, 13.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2005. In Marshall Islands, that number is 36.0% as of 2006.

Life

have 75.2% more children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 21.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 36.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 21.7 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 40.3% less likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, about 38.7% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 3.0 times more on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Marshall Islands spends 13.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 4.1 times more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.0% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 3.1 times more coastline

Cook Islands has a total of 120 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.

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

Marshall Islands: At a glance

Marshall Islands (sometimes abbreviated RMI) is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 181 sq km. After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network.
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How big is Marshall Islands compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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