Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Palau fits inside Brunei 13 times
Brunei: 5,770 km² (2024) · Palau: 460 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Palau’s coastline is 9.4 times as long as Brunei’s
Brunei: 161 km (2026 edition) · Palau: 1,519 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Brunei’s highest peak towers 1,608 m above Palau’s
Brunei: 1,850 m (2026 edition) · Palau: 242 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 9.3% of Palau, versus 2.9% of Brunei
Brunei: 2.9% (2024) · Palau: 9.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Brunei has 26 times as many people as Palau
Brunei: 466,330 (2025) · Palau: 17,663 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Brunei is 2.3 times as densely populated as Palau
Brunei: 88 per km² (2025) · Palau: 38 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Palau are 4.3 cm taller than in Brunei
Brunei: 166.3 cm (2019) · Palau: 170.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Palau are 4.6 cm taller than in Brunei
Brunei: 154.9 cm (2019) · Palau: 159.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Palau is 6.1 years older than in Brunei
Brunei: 31.8 years (2023) · Palau: 37.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Palau have 0.2 more children on average than in Brunei
Brunei: 1.73 children per woman (2024) · Palau: 1.88 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Palau are 65 or older, versus 7.2% in Brunei
Brunei: 7.2% (2025) · Palau: 11.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Brunei: 0 per 1,000 (2025) · Palau: 0.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many official languages?
Palau has 2 official languages, Brunei 1
Brunei: 1 (2026) · Palau: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Brunei’s economy is 44 times the size of Palau’s
Brunei: $15 billion (2025) · Palau: $345 million (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Brunei produces 4 times as much per person as Palau
Brunei: Int$92,430 (2025) · Palau: Int$23,052 (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Brunei: 5.3% (2025) · Palau: no data
How much goes to the military?
Brunei: 3.7% (2024) · Palau: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Brunei: no data · Palau: 18.1% (2020)
How expensive is it?
Palau’s price level (US = 100) is 2.4× Brunei’s
Brunei: 35% (2025) · Palau: 85% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Palau spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Brunei
Brunei: $733 (2023) · Palau: $1,684 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Brunei live 6.1 years longer than in Palau
Brunei: 75.5 years (2024) · Palau: 69.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Palau is 2.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Brunei
Brunei: 8.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Palau: 18.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Brunei has 4% more doctors per person than Palau
Brunei: 1.9 per 1,000 (2021) · Palau: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Brunei: 3.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Palau: no data
How common is suicide?
Brunei: 3 per 100k (2023) · Palau: no data
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in Palau are obese, versus 38% in Brunei
Brunei: 37.7% (2024) · Palau: 42.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Palau smoke, versus 15% in Brunei
Brunei: 14.5% (2024) · Palau: 23% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Palau went to school 4 years longer than in Brunei
Brunei: 9.3 years (2023) · Palau: 13.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Palau welcomed 7 times as many tourists per resident as Brunei (2019)
Brunei: 0.75 (2019) · Palau: 5.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Palau has 1 more World Heritage site than Brunei (1 against 0)
Brunei: 0 (2026) · Palau: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Brunei and Palau are practically level
Brunei: 0 (2026 edition) · Palau: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Brunei are online, versus 84% in Palau
Brunei: 96% (2024) · Palau: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Brunei is 3.2 times as fast as in Palau
Brunei: 120 Mbps (2026) · Palau: 38 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Brunei and Palau are practically level
Brunei: 100% (2024) · Palau: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Palau live in cities, versus 75% in Brunei
Brunei: 75% (2025) · Palau: 79% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Palau has 135 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Brunei 118
Brunei: 118 (2024) · Palau: 135 (2023)
How much do they fly?
Brunei: 1.76 (2023) · Palau: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 91% of Palau, but only 72% of Brunei
Brunei: 72.1% (2024) · Palau: 90.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Brunei emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Palau
Brunei: 26 t (2024) · Palau: 12.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Brunei: 0.2% (2024) · Palau: no data
How clean is the air?
The air in Brunei carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Palau
Brunei: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Palau: 3.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Brunei: no data · Palau: 11.2 per 100k (2018)
How dangerous are the roads?
Brunei: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · Palau: no data
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Brunei: 26.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Palau: no data
How much rain falls?
Brunei: 3,207 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Palau: no data
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Brunei bigger than Palau?
Brunei is larger. Palau fits inside Brunei 13 times.
Which has more people, Brunei or Palau?
Brunei has 26 times as many people as Palau (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Brunei or Palau?
People in Brunei live 6.1 years longer than in Palau. Life expectancy at birth is 75.5 years in Brunei and 69.4 in Palau.
Are people taller in Brunei or Palau?
Men in Palau are 4.3 cm taller than in Brunei (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
