Palau: Population density (people per sq. km of land area)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Palau's population density (people per sq. km of land area) fell 0.15 on 2023 (from 38.62 to 38.47).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.1 and a typical year strayed about 0.54 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 1 in 1996 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.69 in 2011. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 18% 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 2024, Palau had the 163rd highest value of the 214 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

• Zimbabwe — 159th of 214: 43
• Bahamas, The — 160th of 214: 40.09
• Faroe Islands — 161st of 214: 39.88
• Kyrgyz Republic — 163rd of 214: 37.65
• United States — 164th of 214: 37.17
• Lao PDR — 165th of 214: 33.66

What this measures

Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.

Limitations: Current population estimates for developing countries that lack recent census data and pre- and post-census estimates for countries with census data are provided by the United Nations Population Division and other agencies. The cohort component method - a standard method for estimating and projecting population - requires fertility, mortality, and net migration data, often collected from sample surveys, which can be small or limited in coverage. Population estimates are from demographic modeling and so are susceptible to biases and errors from shortcomings in the model and in the data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 34 values

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 235 (2024)
• Australia — 3.54 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 87.8 (2024)
• Cambodia — 99.93 (2024)
• China — 150.08 (2024)
• Fiji — 50.66 (2024)
• French Polynesia — 80.04 (2024)
• Guam — 310.12 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 7,166 (2024)
• Indonesia

More environment data for Palau

• Rural population — 3,659 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 20.72% (2025)
• Urban population — 14,004 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 79.28% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 11 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 803.11 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 814.11 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -0.55% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — -0.09% (2025)
• Agricultural land (sq. km) — 43 (2024)
• Surface area (sq. km)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Palau's population density (people per sq. km of land area)?

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

How has it changed since 1991?

It is up 13.33% from 33.94 in 1991 (0.38% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 43.09 in 2004 and the lowest 33.94 in 1991.

How does Palau rank?

163rd highest of 214 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in population density (people per sq. km of land area) unusual for Palau?

In 2024, Palau's population density (people per sq. km of land area) fell 0.15 on 2023 (from 38.62 to 38.47). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.1 and a typical year strayed about 0.54 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 EN.POP.DNST, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); World Bank population estimates, World Bank (WB), publisher: 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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