What is population in Palau?

Population in Palau was 17,751 people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest population recorded in Palau?

The highest recorded value was 19,841 people in 2004.

What is the lowest population recorded in Palau?

The lowest recorded value was 3,875 people in 1800.

How does Palau rank for population?

Palau ranks 224th out of 238 countries with data for 2023.

Is population rising or falling in Palau?

Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Palau data come from?

The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Population in Palau

Name: Population in Palau
Creator: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Palau: Population was 17,751 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)

17,751 people

Change on year

down 0.2%

World rank

224th

of 238 countries

All-time high

19,841 people

in 2004

All-time low

3,875 people

in 1800

Years of data

224

1800–2023

Population in Palau, 1800–2023

Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Palau recorded 17,751 people for population in 2023.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in Palau peaked at 19,841 people in 2004 and was at its lowest, 3,875 people, in 1800.

Palau ranks 224th of 238 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1800s	3,875 people	3,875 people	3,875 people	10
1810s	3,875 people	3,875 people	3,879 people	10
1820s	3,962 people	3,886 people	4,047 people	10
1830s	4,156 people	4,066 people	4,247 people	10
1840s	4,361 people	4,267 people	4,456 people	10
1850s	4,580 people	4,478 people	4,683 people	10
1860s	4,814 people	4,707 people	4,923 people	10
1870s	5,060 people	4,947 people	5,174 people	10
1880s	5,318 people	5,200 people	5,438 people	10
1890s	5,590 people	5,466 people	5,716 people	10
1900s	5,876 people	5,745 people	6,008 people	10
1910s	6,176 people	6,038 people	6,313 people	10
1920s	6,483 people	6,344 people	6,625 people	10
1930s	6,804 people	6,657 people	6,952 people	10
1940s	7,143 people	6,986 people	7,328 people	10
1950s	8,314 people	7,494 people	9,125 people	10
1960s	10,381 people	9,349 people	11,182 people	10
1970s	12,335 people	11,393 people	12,711 people	10
1980s	13,557 people	12,296 people	14,969 people	10
1990s	17,063 people	15,282 people	18,926 people	10
2000s	19,418 people	18,736 people	19,841 people	10
2010s	17,884 people	17,670 people	18,420 people	10
2020s	17,790 people	17,751 people	17,817 people	4

Countries ranked near Palau

221 San Marino 33,761 people compare
222 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 29,920 people compare
223 Saint Martin (French part) 27,545 people compare
225 Anguilla 14,435 people compare
226 Cook Islands 14,244 people compare
227 Nauru 11,900 people compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for Palau

Population growth rate, by level of development -0.6% (2100)
Number of children under 5, by world region 539 people (2100)
Population density 24.23 people per km² (2100)
World population growth -0.6% (2100)
Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.88 births per woman (2024)
Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.88 births per woman (2024)
Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.88 births per woman (2024)
Natural population growth rate -0.1% (2023)
Fertility rate: births per woman 1.91 live births per woman (2023)
Fertility rate vs. GDP per capita 1.91 live births per woman (2023)

All data for Palau →

Frequently asked questions

What is population in Palau?: Population in Palau was 17,751 people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population recorded in Palau?: The highest recorded value was 19,841 people in 2004.
What is the lowest population recorded in Palau?: The lowest recorded value was 3,875 people in 1800.
How does Palau rank for population?: Palau ranks 224th out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
Is population rising or falling in Palau?: Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Palau data come from?: The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 224 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Population
Unit: people
Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 239 places, 51,002 data points, 1000–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.