Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palau
Palau: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 39.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palau, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palau stood at 39.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palau peaked at 72.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
Palau ranks 218th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palau, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 65.5% | — |
| 1960 | 65.9% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 66.7% | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 66.5% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 67.3% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 66.4% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 71.8% | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 71.8% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 72.1% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 65.8% | -8.7% |
| 2005 | 59.7% | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 58.8% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 56.3% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 39.3% | -30.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 32.7% | 0.0% | 65.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 66.3% | 65.9% | 66.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 66.9% | 66.5% | 67.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 69.1% | 66.4% | 71.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 71.9% | 71.8% | 72.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 62.8% | 59.7% | 65.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 57.5% | 56.3% | 58.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 39.3% | 39.3% | 39.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Palau
More reference data data for Palau
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Consumer price index 160.77 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palau?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palau was 39.3% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 72.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Palau rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Palau ranks 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Palau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palau data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.