Country profile · East Asia & Pacific · HIC
🇵🇼 Palau
High income. Capital Koror. Mid-pack GDP/cap (HIC · MID) across 33 World Bank / WHO / ILO measures.
- 17.7K
- Population
- $321.5 million
- GDP
- $18,169
- GDP / capita
- 69.4 years
- Life expectancy
Mid-pack GDP/cap · MID
Palau ranks 211th of 217 by total GDP and 157th for life expectancy - a high income economy in East Asia & Pacific.
- #211
- World GDP rank (of 217)
- $18,169
- GDP per capita
- #157
- Life-expectancy rank
- #215
- Population rank
Palau sits in the middle third of GDP/cap (#79 of 214) as a HIC economy with MID longevity.
Palau vs all countries by total GDP
Where this economy's World Bank total GDP sits among every country with a positive observation (inventory signal, not a virtue ranking)
$321,501,813 211th of 214 higher than 3 of 214 countries
Countries banded by World Bank total GDP (current US$)
Each bar is a $0.001K-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source World Bank, GDP (current US$) · 2026-08-14
Palau on the global income map
Palau (PLW) mid GDP/cap pack - GDP per capita × life expectancy vs largest peers; gold rings = OECD.
- Palau: GDP per capita $18,169 (2024), life expectancy 69.4 years (2024), high income.
- India: GDP per capita $2,695 (2024), life expectancy 72.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- China: GDP per capita $13,303 (2024), life expectancy 78.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United States: GDP per capita $84,534 (2024), life expectancy 78.9 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Indonesia: GDP per capita $4,925 (2024), life expectancy 71.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Pakistan: GDP per capita $1,479 (2024), life expectancy 67.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Nigeria: GDP per capita $1,084 (2024), life expectancy 54.6 years (2024), low income.
- Brazil: GDP per capita $10,311 (2024), life expectancy 76.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Bangladesh: GDP per capita $2,593 (2024), life expectancy 74.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Russian Federation: GDP per capita $14,889 (2024), life expectancy 73.4 years (2024), high income.
- Ethiopia: GDP per capita $1,134 (2024), life expectancy 67.6 years (2024), low income.
- Mexico: GDP per capita $14,186 (2024), life expectancy 75.3 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Japan: GDP per capita $32,487 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Egypt, Arab Rep.: GDP per capita $3,338 (2024), life expectancy 71.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Philippines: GDP per capita $3,985 (2024), life expectancy 69.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Congo, Dem. Rep.: GDP per capita $693 (2024), life expectancy 62.1 years (2024), low income.
- Viet Nam: GDP per capita $4,717 (2024), life expectancy 74.7 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Iran, Islamic Rep.: GDP per capita $5,190 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Turkiye: GDP per capita $15,893 (2024), life expectancy 77.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Germany: GDP per capita $56,104 (2024), life expectancy 80.8 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Thailand: GDP per capita $7,387 (2024), life expectancy 76.6 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United Kingdom: GDP per capita $53,246 (2024), life expectancy 81.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Tanzania: GDP per capita $1,193 (2024), life expectancy 67.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- France: GDP per capita $46,103 (2024), life expectancy 83.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- South Africa: GDP per capita $6,267 (2024), life expectancy 66.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Italy: GDP per capita $40,385 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Kenya: GDP per capita $2,133 (2024), life expectancy 63.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Myanmar: GDP per capita $1,359 (2024), life expectancy 67.1 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Colombia: GDP per capita $7,951 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income, OECD member.
- Korea, Rep.: GDP per capita $36,239 (2024), life expectancy 83.6 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Sudan: GDP per capita $985 (2024), life expectancy 66.5 years (2024), low income.
Overview
Palau has a population of 17.7K, making it the 215th-most populous country out of 217 tracked in East Asia & Pacific.
Its economy totals $321.5 million - ranked 211th globally by total GDP. GDP per capita stands at $18,169, placing it in the High income category.
Life expectancy at birth is 69.4 years (ranked 157th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.
The capital is Koror.
👥 Demographics
💰 Economy
🏥 Health
📚 Education
🌍 Environment
🏗️ Infrastructure
⚖️ Social
🌐 Livability Score
One composite verdict from 5 of 5 World Bank series (life expectancy, under-5 mortality, electricity access, clean-water access, homicide rate), each benchmarked against every country tracking that series. A missing series never silently drags the score down: its weight redistributes across the series Palau does report.
- Life expectancy: 7.0 of 50
- Under-5 mortality: 8.6 of 50
- Access to electricity: 18.0 of 50
- Access to clean water: 13.0 of 50
- Safety (homicide rate): 3.3 of 50
All indicators for Palau
33 latest observations from World Bank WDI, WHO GHO, and ILO ILOSTAT (vintage through 2026-08-14). Values match the topic cards above; this table is the machine-readable export view analysts expect on a country profile.
| Topic | Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | Population | 17.7K | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Ages 0-14 | 18.2% | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Ages 65+ | 11.3% | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Density | 38.5/km² | 2023 |
| Demographics | Urban Population | 79.2% | 2024 |
| Economy | Foreign Direct Investment | $69.1 million | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP (Current USD) | $321.5 million | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP Growth Rate | 12.0% | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP Per Capita (Current USD) | $18,169.077 | 2024 |
| Economy | Government Debt (% of GDP) | 85.2% | 2019 |
| Economy | Inflation (Consumer Prices) | 2.2% | 2024 |
| Economy | Trade (% of GDP) | 105.8% | 2024 |
| Health | Health Expenditure (% of GDP) | 10.9% | 2023 |
| Health | Infant Mortality Rate | 18.6 per 1,000 | 2024 |
| Health | Life Expectancy at Birth | 69.4 years | 2024 |
| Health | Maternal Mortality Ratio | 89 | 2023 |
| Health | Physicians (per 1,000 people) | 1.8 per 1,000 | 2023 |
| Health | Under-5 Mortality Rate | 21.4 per 1,000 | 2024 |
| Education | Education Expenditure (% of GDP) | 3.4% | 2023 |
| Education | Literacy Rate (Adult) | 99.8 | 2020 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Primary) | 106.9 | 2024 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Secondary) | 95.7 | 2024 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Tertiary) | 71.8 | 2024 |
| Education | Youth Literacy Rate | 100 | 2020 |
| Environment | CO2 Emissions Per Capita | 82.8 | 2024 |
| Environment | Forest Area | 90.5 | 2023 |
| Environment | Renewable Energy Consumption | 0.9% | 2022 |
| Infrastructure | Access to Clean Water | 90.8% | 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Access to Electricity | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Infrastructure | Internet Users | 83.9% | 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Mobile Subscriptions | 135.4 | 2023 |
| Social | Intentional Homicides | 11.2 | 2018 |
| Social | Net Migration | -14 | 2024 |
🫀 Disease Burden
Palau's standout GHO cell is maternal mortality at 89 per 100,000 births (fleet midpoint 47) - that ratio, not the shared ischaemic-heart card, is what this profile is for.
Non-communicable Diseases
Injuries & External Causes
Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: latest available. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.
Compare Palau with near GDP/cap peers
Side-by-side pages for the closest ABS GDP/cap neighbours - not a full-roster dropdown.
Read with Palau
Nearest GDP/cap peers and LE poles for Palau (HIC · MID), replacing the old fixed guide and region clone strip.
HIC MID
American Samoa · HIC
American Samoa GDP/cap $18,017 is lower by $152 than Palau; LE stamp LONG vs MID.
Seychelles · HIC
Seychelles GDP/cap $18,365 is higher by $195 than Palau; LE stamp LONG vs MID.
Trinidad and Tobago · HIC
Trinidad and Tobago GDP/cap $18,733 is higher by $564 than Palau; LE stamp LONG vs MID.
Bulgaria · HIC
Bulgaria GDP/cap $17,597 is lower by $572 than Palau; LE stamp LONG vs MID.
East Asia & Pacific WDI roster
Palau stamps HIC · MID inside East Asia & Pacific - open the region roster after the ABS peers.
GDP/cap leaderboard (#79)
Palau ranks #79 of 214 on NY.GDP.PCAP.CD under the HIC Atlas band.
What the data says about Palau
Palau sits in the high-income bracket but outside the OECD's harmonized reporting network, so its statistics come straight from the World Bank, WHO, and ILO source series rather than a jointly reconciled OECD dataset - still official, but with less cross-checking between agencies than an OECD member gets. Because output and income figures are converted at market exchange rates into current dollars, they can swing with currency movements independent of any real change in living standards, and for a small economy like this one that swing shows up more visibly in the headline numbers than it would for a larger country. The fuller picture comes from comparing Palau against income-tier peers of a similar size.
Palau sits in the middle third of GDP/cap (#79 of 214) as a HIC economy with MID longevity.
Palau holds 17.7K people and $321.5 million GDP (211th) at $18,169 per person - mid GDP/cap band, HIC, LE 69.4 years (157th, MID). 33 WDI/WHO/ILO cells fill the topic blocks.
Nearest ABS GDP/cap peer: American Samoa at $18,017 (Δ $152). Open that profile or the GDP/cap leaderboard before treating any single year as destiny.
What to do with Palau's numbers
Palau is classified HIC with MID. Use that context before comparing any single figure to another country.
- Compare Palau directly against any other country, side by side, on the indicators that matter to you. Compare countries
- See exactly where Palau ranks among all 217 tracked countries on a specific indicator, not just the ones shown here. Indicator rank finder
- Learn the common mistakes people make citing country statistics before you quote a number from this page. Reading country profiles
Figures above are sourced from World Bank, WHO, and ILO (OECD where applicable) as cited below; always verify against the primary source before citing a specific number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the data for Palau come from?
Data for Palau is sourced from the World Bank Open Data catalog, WHO Global Health Observatory, and ILO ILOSTAT (for average wages and working hours). These are official, publicly available datasets.
How current is the data for Palau?
Years are per-indicator on Palau - typically 2020-2024, with GHO cause cards older than the WDI GDP vintage. Methodology names the cadence per source.
Can I compare Palau with other countries?
Start with the nearest GDP/cap peer (American Samoa, Δ $152), then the GDP/cap leaderboard. Incomplete compare URLs 404 rather than dumping you on a hub.
What does GDP per capita tell us about Palau?
Palau's total output divided by its population, in current US dollars - an approximate read on average economic productivity per person. See our methodology page for the PPP-adjustment caveats.
How does Palau's life expectancy compare to the global average?
69.4 years, ranking 157th of 217 countries tracked - against a global average near 73 years.
Does PlainCountries cover visa or travel information for Palau?
No - PlainCountries covers development and health indicators only. For immigration policy or flight routes, consult the relevant national authority or the ICAO/IATA route registries directly.
Data sources
Palau's figures are rendered directly from World Bank, WHO, and ILO data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-14. Primary sources: World Bank Open Data, WHO Global Health Observatory and ILO ILOSTAT.