Urban population growth in Palau
Palau: Urban population growth was -0.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Palau, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Palau recorded -0.1% for urban population growth in 2025.
The figure is up 19.9% on the previous year and up 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Palau peaked at 6.6% in 1961 and was at its lowest, -1.6%, in 2012.
That places Palau 190th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth in Palau, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.6% | — |
| 1962 | 6.3% | -4.2% |
| 1963 | 6.0% | -5.0% |
| 1964 | 5.7% | -4.7% |
| 1965 | 5.4% | -5.7% |
| 1966 | 5.1% | -6.1% |
| 1967 | 4.1% | -19.4% |
| 1968 | 3.0% | -27.4% |
| 1969 | 2.6% | -12.4% |
| 1970 | 3.5% | +34.8% |
| 1971 | 4.8% | +36.8% |
| 1972 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3.8% | -20.2% |
| 1974 | 1.8% | -53.8% |
| 1975 | 0.3% | -85.3% |
| 1976 | -0.1% | -120.0% |
| 1977 | -0.2% | +325.6% |
| 1978 | -0.3% | +41.6% |
| 1979 | -0.4% | +17.1% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -121.5% |
| 1981 | 2.1% | +2603.5% |
| 1982 | 4.0% | +91.0% |
| 1983 | 4.4% | +9.5% |
| 1984 | 4.4% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 4.1% | -8.1% |
| 1986 | 3.2% | -21.1% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -15.8% |
| 1988 | 2.5% | -5.6% |
| 1989 | 2.4% | -5.1% |
| 1990 | 2.5% | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | +14.1% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 3.0% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | -5.6% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -11.1% |
| 1997 | 1.9% | -23.5% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | -23.3% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | -6.7% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +71.6% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +49.4% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | +11.2% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | -11.0% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | -56.1% |
| 2006 | -0.2% | -113.8% |
| 2007 | -0.6% | +194.7% |
| 2008 | -0.7% | +20.6% |
| 2009 | -0.9% | +24.9% |
| 2010 | -1.1% | +26.5% |
| 2011 | -1.4% | +19.8% |
| 2012 | -1.6% | +15.2% |
| 2013 | -0.7% | -53.7% |
| 2014 | -0.0% | -94.2% |
| 2015 | -0.1% | +183.6% |
| 2016 | -0.2% | +65.0% |
| 2017 | -0.3% | +36.0% |
| 2018 | -0.3% | +26.7% |
| 2019 | -0.4% | +27.6% |
| 2020 | -0.3% | -34.2% |
| 2021 | -0.0% | -85.0% |
| 2022 | -0.1% | +133.5% |
| 2023 | -0.1% | +35.9% |
| 2024 | -0.1% | -21.0% |
| 2025 | -0.1% | -19.9% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's -0.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%. (85 countries reporting)
- Palau's -0.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth in Palau changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +2603.5% | 0.1% | 2.1% |
| 1977 | -325.6% | -0.1% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | -194.7% | -0.2% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | -183.6% | -0.0% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.0% | 2.6% | 6.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.8% | -0.4% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 0.1% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 1.3% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | -0.9% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.6% | -1.6% | -0.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.1% | -0.3% | -0.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Palau
- 187 Trinidad and Tobago -0.0% compare
- 188 Czechia -0.1% compare
- 189 Belarus -0.1% compare
- 191 Isle of Man -0.1% compare
- 192 Mauritius -0.1% compare
- 193 South Korea -0.1% 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 urban population growth in Palau?
- Urban population growth in Palau was -0.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 1961.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.6% in 2012.
- How does Palau rank for urban population growth?
- Palau ranks 190th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.