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Palau
An archipelago of over 500 islands in the western Pacific, Palau is renowned for its pristine marine environment and was one of the first countries to create a national marine sanctuary covering 80% of its waters. The capital Ngerulmud on Babeldaob island is one of the world's least populated capitals. Palau's Rock Islands Southern Lagoon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its jellyfish lake and diving.
Major cities: Koror, Ngerulmud, Airai, Meyuns
2024
18K
UN WPP
2050
16K
UN WPP
2100
11K
UN WPP
~2200
1.0M
Per-Country
~2500
1.0M
Per-Country
Population18K
Fertility (TFR)1.88
Life expectancy69.4
Median age33.5
Infant mortality10.0 per 1,000
Pop. density39/km²
Urbanization81%
Land area459 km²
LanguagePalauan
ReligionCatholic
HDI0.767 (#80)
RegionOceania
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | <10K | 7.15 | 52.7 | 46.4 | 20.6 | -0K | 2.6% |
| 1955 | <10K | 7.18 | 53.7 | 45.6 | 16.9 | -0K | 2.9% |
| 1960 | <10K | 7.19 | 54.9 | 46.3 | 14.6 | -0K | 3.2% |
| 1965 | 11K | 7.01 | 55.9 | 38.8 | 12.8 | -0K | 2.6% |
| 1970 | 11K | 6.39 | 57.7 | 37.0 | 11.9 | +0K | 2.5% |
| 1975 | 13K | 4.90 | 60.0 | 30.0 | 10.3 | -0K | 2.0% |
| 1980 | 12K | 3.35 | 61.9 | 22.8 | 9.4 | -0K | 1.3% |
| 1985 | 14K | 3.01 | 62.7 | 22.3 | 9.1 | +0K | 1.3% |
| 1990 | 15K | 2.88 | 62.8 | 22.0 | 10.2 | +0K | 1.2% |
| 1995 | 17K | 2.55 | 63.3 | 20.7 | 9.9 | +0K | 1.1% |
| 2000 | 19K | 1.82 | 64.5 | 14.4 | 9.9 | +0K | 0.4% |
| 2005 | 20K | 2.02 | 66.2 | 13.9 | 9.9 | -0K | 0.4% |
| 2010 | 18K | 1.94 | 68.3 | 13.7 | 9.3 | -0K | 0.4% |
| 2015 | 18K | 2.00 | 69.1 | 12.6 | 9.5 | -0K | 0.3% |
| 2020 | 18K | 1.97 | 68.7 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 0K | 0.0% |
| 2024Now | 18K | 1.88 | 69.4 | 10.7 | 11.7 | -0K | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 18K | 1.86 | 69.5 | 10.6 | 12.0 | -0K | -0.1% |
| 2030 | 17K | 1.79 | 70.0 | 10.4 | 13.3 | -0K | -0.3% |
| 2035 | 17K | 1.75 | 70.6 | 10.7 | 14.7 | -0K | -0.4% |
| 2040 | 17K | 1.74 | 71.1 | 10.8 | 15.9 | +0K | -0.5% |
| 2045 | 16K | 1.73 | 71.7 | 10.5 | 16.9 | -0K | -0.6% |
| 2050 | 16K | 1.72 | 72.3 | 10.1 | 17.4 | -0K | -0.7% |
| 2055 | 15K | 1.71 | 72.9 | 9.8 | 17.5 | -0K | -0.8% |
| 2060 | 14K | 1.70 | 73.5 | 9.9 | 17.3 | -0K | -0.7% |
| 2065 | 14K | 1.70 | 74.2 | 10.1 | 16.9 | -0K | -0.7% |
| 2070 | 13K | 1.69 | 74.8 | 10.2 | 16.4 | -0K | -0.6% |
| 2075 | 13K | 1.69 | 75.5 | 10.1 | 15.9 | -0K | -0.6% |
| 2080 | 13K | 1.69 | 76.2 | 9.9 | 15.4 | -0K | -0.6% |
| 2085 | 12K | 1.69 | 76.8 | 9.6 | 15.2 | -0K | -0.6% |
| 2090 | 12K | 1.69 | 77.5 | 9.5 | 15.3 | -0K | -0.6% |
| 2095 | 11K | 1.69 | 78.1 | 9.5 | 15.5 | +0K | -0.6% |
| 2100 | 11K | 1.69 | 78.7 | 9.6 | 15.5 | 0K | -0.6% |