Palau: Imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Palau's imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) fell 5.8% on 2022 (from US$219.93 million to US$207.17 million).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2022), the average change was +3.4% and a typical year strayed about 11.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 28.1% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 18.7% in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 13% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Palau had the 11th highest value of the 12 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 2023 ranking

• Aruba — 8th of 12: US$2.57 billion
• Sint Maarten (Dutch part) — 9th of 12: US$1.49 billion
• Comoros — 10th of 12: US$504.04 million
• Tuvalu — 12th of 12: US$67.55 million

What this measures

Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 19 values

Imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Australia — US$424.74 billion (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — US$7.82 billion (2025)
• Cambodia — US$40.15 billion (2025)
• China — US$3.31 trillion (2025)
• Fiji — US$3.85 billion (2024)
• French Polynesia — US$1.87 billion (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$841.39 billion (2025)
• Indonesia — US$293.37 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$998.13 billion (2025)
• Kiribati

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 imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP)?

US$207.17 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is up 49.04% from US$139 million in 2005 (2.24% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$221.84 million in 2017 and the lowest US$130.46 million in 2009.

How does Palau rank?

11th highest of 12 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) unusual for Palau?

In 2023, Palau's imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) fell 5.8% on 2022 (from US$219.93 million to US$207.17 million). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2022), the average change was +3.4% and a typical year strayed about 11.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.GNFS.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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