Share of population living in rural areas in Palau
Palau: Share of population living in rural areas was 60.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in rural areas in Palau, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Palau recorded 60.7% for share of population living in rural areas in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 47.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Palau peaked at 100.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 27.9%, in 1995.
Palau ranks 19th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Palau, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 100.0% | — |
| 1955 | 34.5% | -65.5% |
| 1960 | 34.1% | -1.3% |
| 1965 | 33.3% | -2.4% |
| 1970 | 33.5% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 32.7% | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 33.6% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 28.2% | -16.1% |
| 1990 | 28.2% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 27.9% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 34.2% | +22.4% |
| 2005 | 40.3% | +18.0% |
| 2010 | 41.2% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 43.7% | +6.0% |
| 2020 | 60.7% | +39.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 67.3% | 34.5% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 33.7% | 33.3% | 34.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 33.1% | 32.7% | 33.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 30.9% | 28.2% | 33.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 28.1% | 27.9% | 28.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 37.2% | 34.2% | 40.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 42.5% | 41.2% | 43.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 60.7% | 60.7% | 60.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Palau
More population data for Palau
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5888 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -9.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5888 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.426 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 16.69 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.2005 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7366 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.6% (2100)
- Population density 24.23 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 539 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in rural areas in Palau?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Palau was 60.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.9% in 1995.
- How does Palau rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Palau ranks 19th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.