Population, total in Palau
Palau: Population, total was 17,663 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
17,663
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
216th
of 218 countries
All-time high
19,820
in 2004
All-time low
9,328
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in Palau, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, population, total in Palau stood at 17,663.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Palau peaked at 19,820 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 9,328, in 1960.
Palau ranks 216th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, total in Palau, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9,328 | — |
| 1961 | 9,555 | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 9,793 | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 10,037 | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 10,292 | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 10,547 | +2.5% |
| 1966 | 10,805 | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 10,988 | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 11,080 | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 11,159 | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 11,368 | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 11,759 | +3.4% |
| 1972 | 12,194 | +3.7% |
| 1973 | 12,552 | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 12,687 | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 12,655 | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 12,598 | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 12,525 | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 12,440 | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 12,337 | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 12,271 | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 12,402 | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 12,694 | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 13,006 | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 13,337 | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 13,688 | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 14,024 | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 14,334 | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 14,645 | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 14,945 | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 15,259 | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 15,614 | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 15,989 | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 16,372 | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 16,770 | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 17,195 | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 17,654 | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 18,108 | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 18,524 | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 18,901 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 19,178 | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 19,352 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 19,503 | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 19,659 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 19,820 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 19,819 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 19,593 | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 19,302 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 19,009 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 18,709 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 18,396 | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 18,078 | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 17,765 | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 17,648 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 17,715 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 17,770 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 17,797 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 17,812 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 17,814 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 17,798 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 17,792 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 17,783 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 17,759 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 17,727 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 17,695 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 17,663 | -0.2% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 17,663 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.97 million, 1% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Palau's 17,663 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.42 million, 1% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10,358 | 9,328 | 11,159 | 10 |
| 1970s | 12,312 | 11,368 | 12,687 | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,535 | 12,271 | 14,945 | 10 |
| 1990s | 17,039 | 15,259 | 18,901 | 10 |
| 2000s | 19,394 | 18,709 | 19,820 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17,859 | 17,648 | 18,396 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17,736 | 17,663 | 17,792 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Palau
- 213 Marshall Islands 36,282 compare
- 214 San Marino 34,109 compare
- 215 Saint Martin (French part) 24,941 compare
- 217 Nauru 12,025 compare
- 218 Tuvalu 9,492 compare
More climate change data for Palau
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 35,574 kg (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.1855 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.1855 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0007 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.1855 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.1855 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions 0.0007 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Direct emissions 0.0006 kt (2050)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Indirect emissions (N2O that) 0.0001 kt (2050)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Indirect emissions (N2O that leaches) 0.0001 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Palau?
- Population, total in Palau was 17,663 in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 19,820 in 2004.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 9,328 in 1960.
- How does Palau rank for population, total?
- Palau ranks 216th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.