Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Palau fits inside Papua New Guinea 1,006 times.
Palau: 460 km² (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 462,840 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Papua New Guinea’s coastline is 3.4 times as long as Palau’s.
Palau: 1,519 km (2026 edition) · Papua New Guinea: 5,152 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Papua New Guinea’s highest peak towers 4,267 m above Palau’s.
Palau: 242 m (2026 edition) · Papua New Guinea: 4,509 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Papua New Guinea has 609 times as many people as Palau.
Palau: 17,663 (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Palau is 62% more densely populated than Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 38 per km² (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 24 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Palau are 7.5 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 170.6 cm (2019) · Papua New Guinea: 163.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Palau are 2.6 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 159.5 cm (2019) · Papua New Guinea: 156.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Palau is 15 years older than in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 37.8 years (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 22.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Papua New Guinea have 1.2 more children on average than in Palau.
Palau: 1.88 children per woman (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 3.07 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Palau are 65 or older, versus 3.6% in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 11.8% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 3.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Papua New Guinea has 3 official languages, Palau 2.
Palau: 2 (2026) · Papua New Guinea: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Papua New Guinea’s economy is 94 times the size of Palau’s.
Palau: $345 million (2025) · Papua New Guinea: $32.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Palau produces 4.4 times as much per person as Papua New Guinea.
Palau: Int$23,052 (2025) · Papua New Guinea: Int$5,215 (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 2.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 0.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Palau’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Papua New Guinea’s.
Palau: 85% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 58% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Palau spends 20 times as much on health per person as Papua New Guinea.
Palau: $1,684 (2023) · Papua New Guinea: $85 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Palau live 3.1 years longer than in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 69.4 years (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Papua New Guinea is 68% more likely to die before turning one than in Palau.
Palau: 18.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 31.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Palau has 30 times as many doctors per person as Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in Palau are obese, versus 28% in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 42.1% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 27.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
39% of adults in Papua New Guinea smoke, versus 23% in Palau.
Palau: 23% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 39.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 58.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 2,177 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Palau went to school 8.3 years longer than in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 13.3 years (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Palau welcomed 807 times as many tourists per resident as Papua New Guinea (2019).
Palau: 5.28 (2019) · Papua New Guinea: 0.01 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Palau are online, versus 19% in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 84% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 19% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Palau have electricity, versus 43% in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 100% (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 43.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Palau live in cities, versus 16% in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 79% (2025) · Papua New Guinea: 16% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Palau has 135 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Papua New Guinea 39.
Palau: 135 (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 39 (2024)
How much do they fly?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 0.14 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 91% of Palau, but only 79% of Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 90.5% (2023) · Papua New Guinea: 79% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Palau emits 16 times as much CO₂ as someone in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 12.8 t (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 0.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 23.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Papua New Guinea carries 3.3 times as much fine dust as in Palau.
Palau: 3.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Papua New Guinea: 11 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Palau: 11.2 per 100k (2018) · Papua New Guinea: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Palau are 49% deadlier than in Papua New Guinea.
Palau: 22.2 per 100k (2021) · Papua New Guinea: 14.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 24°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Palau: no data · Papua New Guinea: 4,281 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Palau bigger than Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinea is larger. Palau fits inside Papua New Guinea 1,006 times.
Which has more people, Palau or Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinea has 609 times as many people as Palau (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Palau or Papua New Guinea?
People in Palau live 3.1 years longer than in Papua New Guinea. Life expectancy at birth is 69.4 years in Palau and 66.3 in Papua New Guinea.
Are people taller in Palau or Papua New Guinea?
Men in Palau are 7.5 cm taller than in Papua New Guinea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
