Marshall Islands vs Palau
Marshall Islands has 2.1× the population of Palau: 36,282 vs 17,663, a gap of 18,619. Palau is shrinking more slowly (−0.18% vs −3.43% a year), adding about -32 people a year against −1,244. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Palau would overtake Marshall Islands in about 22 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2047) — a projection, not a forecast. Palau is the older society: 11.8% aged 65+ against 4.9% in Marshall Islands, while Marshall Islands has more children (33.9% under 15 vs 17.9%). Marshall Islands is 5.6× as densely populated (215.7 vs 38.5 people per km²). People in Palau live 2.3 years longer on average (69.4 vs 67.1). GDP per capita is 2.3× higher in Palau ($19,532 vs $8,489).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Marshall Islands) and 2025 (Palau); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Marshall Islands vs Palau — side by side
 Marshall Islands |  Palau | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 36,2822025 | 17,6632025 |
| Growth rate / yr | −3.43%2025 | −0.18%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 20.12024 | 10.72024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 7.12024 | 11.72024 |
| Children per woman | 2.862024 | 1.882024 |
| Life expectancy | 67.1 yrs2024 | 69.4 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 33.9%2025 | 17.9%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 4.9%2025 | 11.8%2025 |
| Density | 215.7 /km²2023 | 38.5 /km²2023 |
| Area | 180 km²2023 | 460 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 79.1%2025 | 79.3%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -1,6982025 | -162025 |
| GDP per capita | $8,4892025 | $19,5322025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #212 | #215 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Marshall Islands: 2.5× from 1960 to 2025; Palau: 1.9× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Region: East Asia & Pacific · rankings
Marshall Islands: Marshall Islands vs Gibraltar, Marshall Islands vs British Virgin Islands, Marshall Islands vs Monaco, Marshall Islands vs San Marino, Marshall Islands vs Saint Martin, Marshall Islands vs Palau.
Palau: Palau vs Marshall Islands, Palau vs San Marino, Palau vs Saint Martin, Palau vs Nauru, Palau vs Tuvalu.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.