Nauru vs Palau
Palau has 1.5× the population of Nauru: 17,663 vs 12,025, a gap of 5,638. Nauru is growing faster (+0.65% vs −0.18% a year), adding about 78 people a year against −32. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Nauru would overtake Palau in about 46 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2071) — a projection, not a forecast. Palau is the older society: 11.8% aged 65+ against 3.0% in Nauru, while Nauru has more children (37.2% under 15 vs 17.9%). Nauru is 15.4× as densely populated (593.8 vs 38.5 people per km²). People in Palau live 7.1 years longer on average (69.4 vs 62.3). GDP per capita is 1.3× higher in Palau ($19,532 vs $14,640).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Nauru) and 2025 (Palau); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Nauru vs Palau — side by side
 Nauru |  Palau | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,0252025 | 17,6632025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +0.65%2025 | −0.18%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 24.62024 | 10.72024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 7.62024 | 11.72024 |
| Children per woman | 3.292024 | 1.882024 |
| Life expectancy | 62.3 yrs2024 | 69.4 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 37.2%2025 | 17.9%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 3.0%2025 | 11.8%2025 |
| Density | 593.8 /km²2023 | 38.5 /km²2023 |
| Area | 20 km²2023 | 460 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 100.0%2025 | 79.3%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -1222025 | -162025 |
| GDP per capita | $14,6402025 | $19,5322025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #216 | #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). Nauru: 2.6× 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
Nauru: Nauru vs San Marino, Nauru vs Saint Martin, Nauru vs Palau, Nauru vs Tuvalu.
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.