The duel
- 615× The Marshall Islands fits inside the median country 615 times
- 204× The median country has 204 times as many people as the Marshall Islands
- +7.5 years People in the median country live 7.5 years longer than in the Marshall Islands
- 2.4× The median country produces 2.4 times as much per person as the Marshall Islands
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Marshall Islands fits inside the median country 615 times
Marshall Islands: 181 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 19% longer than the Marshall Islands’
Marshall Islands: 370 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 2,321 m above the Marshall Islands’
Marshall Islands: 14 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 40% of the Marshall Islands, versus 38% of the median country
Marshall Islands: 40.2% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 204 times as many people as the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 36,282 (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Marshall Islands is 2 times as densely populated as the median country
Marshall Islands: 200 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 8.3 cm taller than in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 165.3 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 5.8 cm taller than in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 154.8 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 10 years older than in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 20.7 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Marshall Islands have 1.0 more children on average than in the median country
Marshall Islands: 2.86 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 4.9% in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 4.9% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Marshall Islands has 2 official languages, the median country 1
Marshall Islands: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 148 times the size of the Marshall Islands’
Marshall Islands: $308 million (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 2.4 times as much per person as the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: Int$8,964 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Marshall Islands than in the median country (Gini 1.1 points higher)
Marshall Islands: 35.5 (2019) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.1% of people in the Marshall Islands live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Marshall Islands: 2.1% (2019) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Marshall Islands and the median country are practically level
Marshall Islands: 17.2% (2020) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Marshall Islands’ price level (US = 100) is 2.1× the median country’s
Marshall Islands: 95% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Marshall Islands spends 90% more on health per person than the median country
Marshall Islands: $894 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 7.5 years longer than in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 67.1 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Marshall Islands is 79% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country
Marshall Islands: 22.7 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
41% of adults in the Marshall Islands are obese, versus 24% in the median country
Marshall Islands: 41.2% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in the Marshall Islands smoke, versus 19% in the median country
Marshall Islands: 29.9% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 6.2 times as much alcohol as in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 0.7 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Marshall Islands has 2.2 times as much meat per person as the median country
Marshall Islands: 125.6 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Marshall Islands has 383 kcal more food per person per day than the median country
Marshall Islands: 3,321 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Marshall Islands went to school 1.7 years longer than in the median country
Marshall Islands: 11.6 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 2.5 times as many tourists per resident as the Marshall Islands (2019)
Marshall Islands: 0.14 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The median country has 2 more World Heritage sites than the Marshall Islands (3 against 1)
Marshall Islands: 1 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, the Marshall Islands none
Marshall Islands: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 66% in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 66% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 97% in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 97.2% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in the Marshall Islands live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
Marshall Islands: 79% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Marshall Islands 40
Marshall Islands: 40 (2022) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Marshall Islands fly 3.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country
Marshall Islands: 0.81 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the Marshall Islands, but only 33% of the median country
Marshall Islands: 53.6% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Marshall Islands emits 38% more CO₂ than someone in the median country
Marshall Islands: 4.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 5.9 times as much fine dust as in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: 2.8 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Marshall Islands: no data · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Marshall Islands bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The Marshall Islands fits inside the median country 615 times.
Which has more people, the Marshall Islands or the median country?
The median country has 204 times as many people as the Marshall Islands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Marshall Islands or the median country?
People in the median country live 7.5 years longer than in the Marshall Islands. Life expectancy at birth is 67.1 years in the Marshall Islands and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the Marshall Islands or the median country?
Men in the median country are 8.3 cm taller than in the Marshall Islands (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).