Urban population in Palau
Palau: Urban population was 14,004 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Palau, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Palau is 14,004, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Palau peaked at 15,374 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 4,095, in 1960.
That places Palau 215th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Palau, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4,095 | — |
| 1961 | 4,374 | +6.8% |
| 1962 | 4,659 | +6.5% |
| 1963 | 4,947 | +6.2% |
| 1964 | 5,238 | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 5,528 | +5.5% |
| 1966 | 5,815 | +5.2% |
| 1967 | 6,057 | +4.2% |
| 1968 | 6,239 | +3.0% |
| 1969 | 6,403 | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 6,631 | +3.6% |
| 1971 | 6,956 | +4.9% |
| 1972 | 7,297 | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 7,581 | +3.9% |
| 1974 | 7,716 | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 7,736 | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 7,732 | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 7,715 | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 7,691 | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 7,663 | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 7,669 | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 7,833 | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 8,156 | +4.1% |
| 1983 | 8,525 | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 8,910 | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 9,279 | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 9,581 | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 9,843 | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 10,097 | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 10,344 | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 10,610 | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 10,922 | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 11,261 | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 11,604 | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 11,945 | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 12,276 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 12,578 | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 12,814 | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 12,998 | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 13,172 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 13,346 | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 13,650 | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 14,117 | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 14,655 | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 15,151 | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 15,374 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 15,343 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 15,252 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 15,143 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 15,008 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 14,839 | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 14,639 | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 14,412 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 14,308 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 14,302 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 14,285 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 14,257 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 14,219 | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 14,171 | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 14,110 | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 14,070 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 14,064 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 14,050 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 14,031 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 14,016 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 14,004 | -0.1% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 14,004 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.24 million, 1% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Palau's 14,004 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 685,900, 2% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5,336 | 4,095 | 6,403 | 10 |
| 1970s | 7,472 | 6,631 | 7,736 | 10 |
| 1980s | 9,024 | 7,669 | 10,344 | 10 |
| 1990s | 12,018 | 10,610 | 13,172 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14,704 | 13,346 | 15,374 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,354 | 14,110 | 14,839 | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,039 | 14,004 | 14,070 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Palau
- 212 Tonga 21,948 compare
- 213 Faroe Islands 21,764 compare
- 214 Saint Kitts and Nevis 14,968 compare
- 216 Nauru 12,025 compare
- 217 Tuvalu 6,212 compare
- 218 Liechtenstein 6,002 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 in Palau?
- Urban population in Palau was 14,004 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 15,374 in 2005.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,095 in 1960.
- How does Palau rank for urban population?
- Palau ranks 215th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.