# Palau — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Ngerulmud
- Region: Oceania · Micronesia
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/pw
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,663 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 460 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 19,532 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 23,052 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 0.3 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.8 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 69.4 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 1.88 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | -0.4% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Internet users | 83.9% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 79.3% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 0.9% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 90.5% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 82.84 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 12% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 66.22 (2005) → 69.38 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Urban population | 78.31 (2006) → 79.28 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 2.02 (2005) → 1.88 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 0 (2004) → 0.9 (2022) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 98.9 (2005) → 100 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 18.8 (2005) → 18.6 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 87.55 (2005) → 82.84 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 86.9 (2004) → 90.54 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 2000–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.747 |
| 2001 | 0.754 |
| 2002 | 0.760 |
| 2003 | 0.765 |
| 2004 | 0.768 |
| 2005 | 0.779 |
| 2006 | 0.780 |
| 2007 | 0.782 |
| 2008 | 0.780 |
| 2009 | 0.777 |
| 2010 | 0.775 |
| 2011 | 0.778 |
| 2012 | 0.780 |
| 2013 | 0.776 |
| 2014 | 0.777 |
| 2015 | 0.782 |
| 2016 | 0.784 |
| 2017 | 0.786 |
| 2018 | 0.788 |
| 2019 | 0.792 |
| 2020 | 0.794 |
| 2021 | 0.802 |
| 2022 | 0.797 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/pw#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.