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Palau
Republic of Palau · Micronesia
At a glance
CapitalNgerulmud
Most common first languagePalauan65.2% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languagesPalauan, English
CurrencyUnited States dollar
Drives on theright
Highest pointMount Ngerchelchuus242 m
Biggest category of goods exportedfood89% of goods exports, 2018
Services share of exports97.3%of everything sold abroad, 2023
TerritoryEntirely islandsno part on a continental mainland · archipelago
Internet domain.pw
Palau by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 17.7k (2025) | 207th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $345m (2025) | 200th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 460 km² (2023) | 189th of 209 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $105m (2024) | 179th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 24.0k (2023) | 201st of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 416 km² (2023) | 169th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 43 km² (2023) | 195th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 1 Mt (2024) | 156th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 14.0k (2025) | 206th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 69.4 years (2024) | 149th of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $19,532 (2025) | 72nd of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 83.9% (2024) | 86th of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | -0.4% (2025) | 176th of 182 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 79.3% (2025) | 57th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 1.88 (2024) | 111th of 209 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 105.8% of GDP (2024) | 51st of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 83.00 t (2024) | 1st of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.786 (2023) | 85th of 193 |
Land borders
None. Everything that leaves Palau goes by sea or by air.
Across the water
Close by sea, with no shared land border.
Palau shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Is made up entirely of islands 58Shares no land border 51Is an archipelago 39Has english as an official language 63Uses the united states dollar 12Mainly exports food 47Earns most of its export income from services 48Is in micronesia 7
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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