Natural population growth rate in Palau

Palau: Natural population growth rate was -0.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
-0.1%
Change on year
down 54.5%
World rank
188th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.2%
in 1959
All-time low
-0.1%
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Natural population growth rate in Palau, 1950–2023

0123195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Palau recorded -0.1% for natural population growth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is down 54.5% on the previous year and down 112.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, natural population growth rate in Palau peaked at 3.2% in 1959 and was at its lowest, -0.1%, in 2023.

That places Palau 188th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Natural population growth rate in Palau, year by year

Annual values for Natural population growth rate in Palau, 1950 to 2023.
Year % Change
1950 2.6%
1951 2.6% +2.2%
1952 2.7% +2.6%
1953 2.8% +2.0%
1954 2.8% +2.0%
1955 2.9% +1.9%
1956 2.9% +2.3%
1957 3.0% +3.5%
1958 3.2% +3.9%
1959 3.2% +1.5%
1960 3.2% -1.0%
1961 3.1% -1.8%
1962 3.0% -3.0%
1963 2.9% -4.2%
1964 2.8% -5.0%
1965 2.6% -5.5%
1966 2.5% -4.6%
1967 2.4% -2.5%
1968 2.5% +2.5%
1969 2.5% +2.2%
1970 2.5% -0.7%
1971 2.4% -3.3%
1972 2.3% -5.8%
1973 2.1% -6.9%
1974 2.0% -5.5%
1975 2.0% -2.6%
1976 1.9% -4.7%
1977 1.7% -9.0%
1978 1.5% -9.1%
1979 1.4% -7.8%
1980 1.3% -6.2%
1981 1.3% -3.2%
1982 1.3% +3.7%
1983 1.4% +0.9%
1984 1.4% +0.0%
1985 1.3% -2.4%
1986 1.3% -2.1%
1987 1.3% -2.0%
1988 1.2% -1.9%
1989 1.2% -0.8%
1990 1.2% -4.2%
1991 1.1% -5.7%
1992 1.1% +2.4%
1993 1.2% +4.3%
1994 1.2% -2.6%
1995 1.1% -7.3%
1996 0.9% -12.7%
1997 0.8% -17.7%
1998 0.6% -19.5%
1999 0.5% -14.4%
2000 0.4% -16.4%
2001 0.5% +1.4%
2002 0.5% -0.1%
2003 0.4% -2.4%
2004 0.4% -5.4%
2005 0.4% -3.5%
2006 0.4% -0.3%
2007 0.4% +2.5%
2008 0.4% +1.9%
2009 0.4% +2.6%
2010 0.4% +2.1%
2011 0.5% +4.9%
2012 0.5% +5.3%
2013 0.5% +2.6%
2014 0.4% -17.1%
2015 0.3% -25.3%
2016 0.3% -3.6%
2017 0.2% -19.4%
2018 0.2% -30.4%
2019 0.1% -22.4%
2020 0.0% -61.7%
2021 -0.0% -132.6%
2022 -0.0% +140.4%
2023 -0.1% +54.5%

Palau compared with similar countries

  • Palau's -0.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%. (85 countries reporting)
  • Palau's -0.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.8%. (37 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Natural population growth rate 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.

YearChange FromTo
2022 -140.4% -0.0% -0.0%
2021 -132.6% 0.0% -0.0%
2020 -61.7% 0.1% 0.0%
2023 -54.5% -0.0% -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 2.9% 2.6% 3.2% 10
1960s 2.7% 2.4% 3.2% 10
1970s 2.0% 1.4% 2.5% 10
1980s 1.3% 1.2% 1.4% 10
1990s 1.0% 0.5% 1.2% 10
2000s 0.4% 0.4% 0.5% 10
2010s 0.3% 0.1% 0.5% 10
2020s -0.0% -0.1% 0.0% 4

Countries ranked near Palau

  1. 185 Slovakia -0.0% compare
  2. 186 Georgia -0.0% compare
  3. 187 Montenegro -0.0% compare
  4. 189 Thailand -0.1% compare
  5. 190 Bermuda -0.1% compare
  6. 191 Niue -0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Palau

All data for Palau →

Frequently asked questions

What is natural population growth rate in Palau?
Natural population growth rate in Palau was -0.1% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest natural population growth rate recorded in Palau?
The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 1959.
What is the lowest natural population growth rate recorded in Palau?
The lowest recorded value was -0.1% in 2023.
How does Palau rank for natural population growth rate?
Palau ranks 188th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is natural population growth rate rising or falling in Palau?
Over the last ten years it is down 112.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Palau data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Natural population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Natural population growth rate in Palau. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/natural-population-growth/palau/

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About this data

Indicator
Natural population growth rate
Unit
%
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Births minus deaths, as a share of the population. This is the part of population change that comes only from births and deaths, ignoring migration.