Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Palau
Palau: Arrivals of tourists from abroad was 18,400 arrivals in 2020. ▲ Rising
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Palau, 1995–2020
Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.
Analysis
Palau recorded 18,400 arrivals for arrivals of tourists from abroad in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 80.4% on the previous year and down 78.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad in Palau peaked at 162,000 arrivals in 2015 and was at its lowest, 18,400 arrivals, in 2020.
That places Palau 189th out of 203 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Palau, year by year
| Year | arrivals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 53,000 arrivals | — |
| 1996 | 69,000 arrivals | +30.2% |
| 1997 | 74,000 arrivals | +7.2% |
| 1998 | 64,000 arrivals | -13.5% |
| 1999 | 55,000 arrivals | -14.1% |
| 2000 | 58,000 arrivals | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 54,000 arrivals | -6.9% |
| 2002 | 59,000 arrivals | +9.3% |
| 2003 | 63,000 arrivals | +6.8% |
| 2004 | 89,000 arrivals | +41.3% |
| 2005 | 81,000 arrivals | -9.0% |
| 2006 | 82,000 arrivals | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 88,000 arrivals | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 81,000 arrivals | -8.0% |
| 2009 | 71,000 arrivals | -12.3% |
| 2010 | 85,000 arrivals | +19.7% |
| 2011 | 111,000 arrivals | +30.6% |
| 2012 | 120,000 arrivals | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 108,000 arrivals | -10.0% |
| 2014 | 140,000 arrivals | +29.6% |
| 2015 | 162,000 arrivals | +15.7% |
| 2016 | 138,000 arrivals | -14.8% |
| 2017 | 123,000 arrivals | -10.9% |
| 2018 | 106,000 arrivals | -13.8% |
| 2019 | 94,000 arrivals | -11.3% |
| 2020 | 18,400 arrivals | -80.4% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 18,400 arrivals is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.67 million arrivals, 1% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Palau's 18,400 arrivals is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 727,000 arrivals, 3% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63,000 arrivals | 53,000 arrivals | 74,000 arrivals | 5 |
| 2000s | 72,600 arrivals | 54,000 arrivals | 89,000 arrivals | 10 |
| 2010s | 118,700 arrivals | 85,000 arrivals | 162,000 arrivals | 10 |
| 2020s | 18,400 arrivals | 18,400 arrivals | 18,400 arrivals | 1 |
Countries ranked near Palau
More reference data data for Palau
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Consumer price index 160.77 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arrivals of tourists from abroad in Palau?
- Arrivals of tourists from abroad in Palau was 18,400 arrivals in 2020, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 162,000 arrivals in 2015.
- What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,400 arrivals in 2020.
- How does Palau rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
- Palau ranks 189th out of 203 countries with data for 2020.
- Is arrivals of tourists from abroad rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 78.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.