Palau: Gross national expenditure (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Palau's gross national expenditure (% of GDP) fell 10.65 percentage points on 2023 (from 158.55% to 147.9%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2023), the average change was +0.94 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 21.55 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 15.26 percentage points in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 4.48 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 61% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Palau had the 3rd highest value of the 37 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Palau in the 2024 ranking

• Kiribati — 1st of 37: 192.74%
• Timor-Leste — 2nd of 37: 174.32%
• Tonga — 4th of 37: 146.14%
• Marshall Islands — 5th of 37: 145.13%
• Cuba — 6th of 37: 139.92%

What this measures

Gross national expenditure is the sum of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, and gross capital formation. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

All 20 values

Gross national expenditure (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Australia — 99.46% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 80.25% (2025)
• Cambodia — 95.43% (2025)
• China — 97.16% (2024)
• Fiji — 110.15% (2024)
• French Polynesia — 127.62% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 97.13% (2025)
• Indonesia — 93.38% (2025)
• Japan — 100.89% (2024)
• Kiribati — 192.74% (2024)
• Korea, Rep.

More economic policy & debt data for Palau

• GDP (current US$) — US$345 million (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 345 million (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$275.84 million (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 280 million (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$19,532 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 19,532 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$15,617 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 15,852 (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$351.4 million (2025)
• GNI (current LCU) — 351.4 million (2025)
• GNI per capita (current LCU) — 19,895 (2025)
• GDP (annual % growth)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Palau's gross national expenditure (% of GDP)?

147.9% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is up 6.26 percentage points from 141.65% in 2005. The highest value was 173.81% in 2022 and the lowest 125.5% in 2015.

How does Palau rank?

3rd highest of 37 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in gross national expenditure (% of GDP) unusual for Palau?

In 2024, Palau's gross national expenditure (% of GDP) fell 10.65 percentage points on 2023 (from 158.55% to 147.9%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2023), the average change was +0.94 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.DAB.TOTL.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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