Share of population living in urban areas in Palau
Palau: Share of population living in urban areas was 39.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban 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 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 areas in Palau peaked at 72.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
That places Palau 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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 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% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 39.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 76.2%, 52% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Palau's 39.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 70.5%, 56% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population living in urban areas in Palau changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -30.2% | 56.3% | 39.3% |
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) (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)
- Consumer price index 160.77 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Palau?
- Share of population living in urban 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 areas recorded in Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 72.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Palau rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Palau ranks 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban 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 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.