Palau Population
Palau had an estimated population of 17,663 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 215th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.00% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.18% a year.
Palau at a glance
How Palau's population is changing
Palau's population is roughly stable: −0.18% a year, which works out to about −32 people per year, or −0 a day. Births (10.7 per 1,000) and deaths (11.7 per 1,000) alone would give −0.10% a year; net migration removes about 16 people a year (−0.09%). Roughly one in every 465,121 people on Earth lives in Palau.
Population of Palau since 1960
In 1960, Palau had 9,328 people. By 2025 that was 17,663 — 1.9× larger. The population peaked in 2004 at 19,820 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1988 and 1998, when the population rose by 26%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9,328 | — |
| 1970 | 11,368 | +21.9% |
| 1980 | 12,271 | +7.9% |
| 1990 | 15,259 | +24.4% |
| 2000 | 19,178 | +25.7% |
| 2010 | 18,396 | −4.1% |
| 2020 | 17,792 | −3.3% |
| 2025 | 17,663 | −0.7% |
Palau from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Palau at about 3,875 people in 1800; the UN estimates 17,687 in 2025 (5× 1800) and projects 11,144 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2004 at 19,841 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 3,875 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 4,478 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 5,745 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 7,494 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 19,206 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 17,687 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 15,537 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 12,905 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 11,144 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Palau
1 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 17,663. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koror | 14,000 | GeoNames settlement | 79.26% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Palau compares
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Palau | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #213 |  San Marino | 34,109 | +93% | compare → |
| #214 |  Saint Martin | 24,941 | +41% | compare → |
| #216 |  Nauru | 12,025 | −32% | compare → |
| #217 |  Tuvalu | 9,492 | −46% | compare → |
Compare Palau with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Palau
Nearest countries
Palau has no land border. Closest by distance:
Guam 168,999 · 9.6× the population · compare
Northern Mariana Islands 43,541 · 2.5× the population · compare
Philippines 116,786,962 · 6612.0× the population · compare
Timor-Leste 1,418,517 · 80.3× the population · compare
In its region
Palau is the 35th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.0% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings featuring Palau
Cities
Koror — all Palau's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Palau when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
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.